Welcome to Storybrooke University
by Hypnotoad76
Summary: AU without magic. Emma begins freshman year at Storybrooke University, where one of her roommates is a insufferable girl named Regina Mills. The two girls start out hating each other, before eventually becoming friends, and possibly something more. Slow burn SwanQueen story, with plot lines for other characters interwoven throughout the story.
1. Chapter 1

Emma pulled her trusty bug into the parking lot and got out of the car, taking in the sights before her. Students and their parents were walking by, carrying dorm room supplies and saying goodbye to one another. A few guys in university t-shirts were playing football on the quad. She shook her head as she took it in, still unable to believe this was actually happening. That Emma Swan, who less than two years ago was convinced she had no future beyond fast food service and possibly retail, was going to college.

She followed the signs to Freshman sign in and went into the tent, going over to the table set up for students with last names P-Z. "Hi, I'm Emma Swan. I'm here to sign in."

"Are you in Mifflin Hall or Arendelle Tower?"

"Mifflin Hall," Emma told the girl.

She waited as the volunteer searched through a binder until she located her. "Emma Swan, great. Here is your information packet and student handbook, along with a student directory and your course schedule. There's a campus map on the back of your info packet that you'll find helpful. Once you get to your dorm they'll give you your room key and you'll be all set. Welcome to Storybrooke University."

"Thanks," she said as she took the SBU tote bag filled with said stuff. She made her way out of the tent when she accidently collided with another girl. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's alright," the girl said with a shrug as she picked up her own tote bag. "Hi, I'm Ruby. Though people have also called me Red since I'm usually wearing this," she said as she indicated her red hoodie.

"Emma Swan, nice to meet you."

"Are you in Mifflin or Arendelle?"

"Mifflin."

"Me too. What floor?" Ruby asked.

"Sixth."

"I'm on the fourth floor. Are you in a double or a triple room?"

"Triple," Emma told her, feeling like the girl was interrogating her.

"Ugh, I don't know how someone can do that, room with two complete strangers. I'm in a double and I'm dreading just having one roommate. Well, I've got to run. Hopefully I'll see you around," Ruby said with a wolfish grin as she went off.

"Okay, bye," Emma said as the girl walked away. _She's cute_ , Emma thought. Although their brief conversation did remind Emma of her own apprehension of having two roommates. It wasn't like she'd never shared a room with anyone else before. Between the group homes and foster homes she'd grown up in, she had had a good amount of roommates in her lifetime. But that didn't mean she wasn't nervous of rooming with two complete strangers. What if they were total freaks?

To be fair, one of them wasn't a complete stranger. She had already called and befriended one of the girls over the summer, Mary Margaret. They'd talked on the phone a couple of times and messaged each other on Facebook so they could coordinate what to bring for their dorm. But while they had gotten along, Emma knew that talking on-line and actually living together were two completely different things.

As for her second roommate, Emma knew nothing about her. She'd tried calling her once from the contact sheet she'd gotten. But the girl didn't answer when she called, nor did she return the message Emma had left her. The only thing Emma knew about her was her name; Regina Mills.

Emma moved her car to the Mifflin Hall parking lot. She grabbed a couple of bags from her filled to the brim car (she didn't have a lot of stuff, but her small car made it seem like she did) and made her way inside. After getting her room key she got in the elevator and took it to the sixth floor. She pushed her way through the crowded hallway to room 618, where a girl was hanging a colorful tapestry by one of the beds. "Hello?" she said as she knocked on the open door and walked in.

"Emma, hi!" Mary Margaret cried out as she ran over and hugged her. "It's so good to finally meet you in person. How are you?"

"I'm good," Emma replied as she pulled back, not used to such a warm introduction. "Did you just cut your hair?" she asked, since in all the pictures she's seen on-line her roommate had long hair.

"Last week," she said as she self-consciously touched her pixie cut hairstyle. "I've always wanted to try it and with starting college it seemed like a good time to go for it."

"It looks good," Emma told her.

"Thanks." She glanced around the room before looking at the three beds, where her bed was on one side of the room and the other two were on the other. "I already took the bed on the left side. So since you're here you get to choose between the other two. Do you want the one near the window or the one closest to the door?" Mary Margaret asked Emma.

"Um, I guess I'll take the window one," Emma replied.

"That one's mine."

The two girls looked over as a third girl entered the room. Though at first glance it seemed she was more likely on her way to a fashion shoot then attending school, given that the two of them were dressed casually and she was in a rather high end designer dress. That, along with sunglasses and a wide brimmed hat she had on, gave her the allure of a classic movie star.

"Hello, I'm Mary Margaret," she said as she went over to the girl. "And that's our other roommate Emma."

"Regina Mills," the girl coolly replied as she set her sights on Emma. "And I'm taking the bed by the window. I need sunlight to function in the morning."

Emma almost told the girl she was taking the bed by the window out of spite, but thought better of it. She had a feeling this Regina was not going to be an easy person to live with. And since Emma really didn't care where she slept, she decided it would be prudent to pick her battles with the girl wisely. "Fine. I'll take the bed by the door."

"Good choice," Regina smugly replied.

"Emma, since I'm pretty much unpacked do you need help getting your stuff?" Mary Margaret asked, noticing Emma seemed close to ripping the new girl apart.

"Yeah, thanks," she said as she kept her eyes on Regina. Emma waited for the two of them to walk out of the room before stating, "That girl is going to be a real bitch to live with."

"We're just moving in, let's wait and see how things go," Mary Margaret reasoned as they walked to the elevator, trying to be the diplomatic one.

They got a few boxes from Emma's bug and went back upstairs, chatting as they went. Once they got back to the room they found Regina unpacking, along with an older similarly dressed woman. "Honestly Regina, did you have to bring so much stuff?" the woman huffed as she lugged a heavy suitcase onto the bed by the window. "When I brought Zelena to school last week she didn't bring half as much junk as you did. Hopefully once you're in your junior year you'll be a bit more sensible, like your sister."

"Right, because we should all be perfect like Zelena," Regina muttered under her breath before they noticed the other girls in the room.

"Hi, I'm Mary Margaret."

"Emma."

"Cora Mills, Regina's mother," Regina's mom announced in a polite, if not overtly friendly, tone. She nodded to the girls before setting her sights back on her daughter. "Come on; let's get the rest of your stuff up here. I'd like to get back home at a reasonable time."

It only took Emma and Mary Margaret three more trips to transfer everything from Emma's bug to their dorm room. They continued to talk as they unpacked Emma's stuff, while Regina and her mother made seemingly endless trips to and from the room. "Do you know what you want to major in?" Mary Margaret asked.

"We haven't even started classes yet. I'm just looking to survive my first week," Emma answered truthfully as she unpacked a curling iron.

"I understand," Mary Margaret replied. "Right now I'm interested in psychology, but that could change later on. I am excited about the archery class I'm taking for my gym credit."

"Really?" Emma asked, since she didn't think her roommate seemed like someone who'd be comfortable handling weapons. "That sounds like fun. Maybe I'll try to take it next semester. If I survive that long."

"You'll be fine." The two girls then looked out the door as a few boys ran down the hallway yelling loudly. "I've heard the frat guys have a big party the first weekend and invite as many freshman girls as the house can hold."

"Yeah, that's great," Emma said without much interest.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Not anymore," Emma simply said.

"I had one in high school, but we ended things before we graduated," Mary Margaret explained. "I wouldn't mind being single for a while, but I'd like to eventually find someone. Maybe we can go out together and find two fellas."

"Fellas?" Emma repeated with a laugh. "What are you, from the 50's?"

"I'm just saying, we can both try to find each other a boyfriend."

"That's not going to work for me, since I'm into girls," Emma explained, figuring this was a good time to get that out in the open.

Mary Margaret looked at Emma in surprise, not expecting this development. "Oh…so you're…"

"Gay. You can say it," Emma said playfully.

"Sorry. I've just…I've never met someone who was gay before."

"You probably have and just didn't know it. Not every gay woman looks like a burly biker," Emma replied.

Mary Margaret laughed nervously before she stopped in confusion. "Wait, if you're gay why did you say you had a boyfriend before?"

"That's a long story I don't want to get into right now. Let's just go with the short version where I knew him before I came out and I'm not with him anymore."

"Finally!" The two girls looked over as Regina came in and sat heavily on her bed, which barely had enough space for her to do that. "That's done. One more second with that woman and I would have crushed my own heart to escape the inane chatter."

She sighed as she took off her hat and sunglasses. Luckily she wasn't looking at her roommates or she would have noticed Emma staring at her. _She's gorgeous_ , Emma thought as she took in her roommate's dark brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and full luscious lips.

"I hope neither of you snore, because I'm not putting up with that," Regina announced. "And if either of you touch any of my stuff or eat any of my food, you'll be in a world of trouble."

 _Maybe it's a good thing she's a bitch_ , Emma internally reasoned. _It'll make it easier to avoid wanting to make out with her._


	2. Chapter 2

Happiness and relief flooded through Emma as she collapsed on top of her bed. As of 3:50pm she was done with classes and her weekend could begin. Though more important than two days of fun and relaxation was what this milestone meant for her; she had survived her first week of college.

Overall it hadn't been a bad week for her. Her classes didn't seem like they were going to be that bad. She was a little apprehensive about her writing and research class, where the professor informed them they were required to write a 5 page research paper every two weeks. But even that one she was sure she could handle.

She'd also met with her guidance counselor, Miss. Blue. Their meeting was mostly for her to introduce herself to Emma and reiterate that Emma had to maintain a B average or higher in all her classes or else she would lose her scholarship. Her stern tone when she said it made Emma feel self-conscious, especially since she already had every intention of doing well in school and maintaining her scholarship. Though when Emma mentioned that she needed a job Miss. Blue made a call and got her one (manning the front desk at the fitness center Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5pm to 9pm.) So while Emma wasn't a huge fan of 'The Blue Fairy' (her private nickname for the counselor since the woman had a number of fairy statues on her desk), she was grateful she had helped her get a much needed job.

And even though she had only been at school for a week, she already felt like she had made two friends. One was Ruby, the girl she had literally run into on the first day. The day after she moved in Emma saw her when she went to the dining hall for dinner and they ate together, followed by the two of them playing a game of foosball in the rec room. After that they'd spend most nights during that first week in Emma's room, watching TV and getting to know one another.

For a brief moment Emma considered trying to see if Ruby might be interested in being her girlfriend, even if she had no notion if she was even into women or not. But ultimately Emma decided against it. While she was out of the closet, she hadn't been for very long and had never been involved with a girl before, aside from a drunken kiss during a high school graduation party. That made her nervous about taking that plunge with a girl just yet. And since Emma had never had a lot of good friends, she valued Ruby more as a friend then as a potential girlfriend. So that notion was squashed before it even began. Though that didn't stop Emma from noticing how good Ruby looked in a pair of short shorts. _That girl could have guys and girls eating out of her hand_ , she thought.

The other friend she'd made was her roommate Mary Margaret. So far the two of them had gotten along brilliantly and had no problems living together. She also hung out with her and Ruby when they watched TV. And Emma couldn't help being amused at Mary Margaret's attempts at showing she had no problem with Emma being gay. Her favorite was when her roommate got a KD Lang cd and played it loudly one afternoon. Emma told her she appreciated the gesture, but she didn't have to keep trying to show her she was accepting. All she had to do was treat her like anyone else. Emma also informed Mary Margaret she didn't even like KD Lang and to please not play her again. Though it had been worth it when Regina yelled at them to "shut that shit off when I'm trying to read."

As it turned out, Emma had been right in her assessment on Regina. The girl was an uptight bitch who freaked out if the slightest thing didn't go her way. For one thing, she was an obsessive neat freak, and laid into them if something as simple as a spare sock was left on the floor. She also had been serious about anyone touching her stuff. She actually yelled at Mary Margaret when she took one of her tissues when she had to blow her nose. That one led to Emma yelling at her and the two girls getting into a screaming match. If this was what she was like during just the first week, then it was going to be a long school year.

"Hey."

Emma sat up as Mary Margaret came into the room. "Hey yourself. You done with classes?"

"Yup. You?"

"Since 3:50.

"Look what I just bought," Mary Margaret said as she unrolled a poster of a castle surrounded by a mote in a vast field. "A company is in the quad selling posters and I got this for just $3.00. I'm going to hang it on the ceiling above my bed."

"That's cool. Though if I were you I'd hang it up before Regina gets back, since I'm sure she'll bitch about it if we do it in front of her."

"Actually, we don't have to worry about her. Regina went home for the weekend, so it's just us," Mary Margaret informed her roommate.

"She did. Yes!" Emma cheered as she leapt off the bed. "Two days of not living with Miss. Bitch."

"Since she's gone why don't the two of us and Ruby have a sleepover?" Mary Margaret suggested. "We can stay up late and make popcorn and eat ice cream and watch movies and play truth or dare."

Emma couldn't help grinning at that suggestion. It seemed like something you'd do if you were younger, and yet it seemed like a great suggestion. "Sure, that sounds like fun." She went over to their phone and called Rudy, leaving a message when it went to voicemail. "She wasn't in, but we'll try again later."

The two of them went to the café for dinner and then to the quad, where Emma ended up getting a few posters for her side of the room. They then went back and hung up their purchased items before turning on the TV, where they flipped through channels before finding _The Princess Bride_ and deciding to watch that, since it was one of Mary Margaret's favorite movies. "Of course you would love this movie," Emma said. "It's all about princesses and kingdoms and true love at first sight."

"I don't believe in love at first sight," Mary Margaret said.

"Come on, you're telling me you don't believe in love at first sight?"

"Nope," Mary Margaret replied.

"You sure, because you seem really into all this princess fairy tale stuff," Emma stated as she gestured to Mary Margaret's side of the room , where posters for _The Princess Bride_ and _Lord of the Rings_ were on the wall and the castle one was on the ceiling.

"I am. But two people falling in love at soon as they meet, being destined to be together. That just seems like wishful thinking. I believe in falling in love. But true love at first sight where both people just have to be together, that's just make believe."

The two girls looked over as they heard a knock at the door. "It's open!"

"Hey you two," Ruby said as she walked in.

"Hi Ruby. Did you get my message?" Emma asked.

"What message?"

"Regina's gone for the weekend, so we're going to have a slumber party," Mary Margaret explained.

"Sure, I'm up for that," Ruby said. "But first we're doing a scavenger hunt."

"Hu?"

"I was talking to this guy in my Communications class, Leroy. And we ended up challenging each other to a scavenger hunt tonight. He's already found two people for his team, and I need two for mine. So do you want to help me?" Ruby asked.

Emma and Mary Margaret looked at each other as they shrugged in agreement. "Sure, it could be fun."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright everyone, listen up," Leroy said as he handed out pieces of paper to the other five people. "Here's how it's going to work. There's twenty items on the list, and each team has two hours to find as many things as they can. It's now…" he paused as he looked for his phone.

"8:26pm," Kevin said.

"Thank you," he replied gruffly. "It's now about 8:30pm, which means we'll meet back at the 3rd floor lounge room at 10:30pm."

"Why the 3rd floor lounge?" Emma asked.

"Cause that's my floor, alright?" Leroy reasoned. "So the teams are myself, Kevin and Ariel, and Ruby, Emma and Mary Margaret. Any questions?"

"Should we make a rule about it being cheating if you get things from Gold?" Ariel asked. "Because we could probably get everything in one shot if we do that."

"Hey, if you want to try dealing with that psycho, be my guest sister. But I'm not going anywhere near that creep," Leroy reasoned. "So is everyone good? Alright, let's do this."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Thanks again! We'll get it back to you soon," Ruby called out as they left room 709 and put the acquired lawn gnome in her backpack. "So with the gnome we have 10 things so far. Emma's getting a fake bird, so that makes 11. Now we just need to find the last 9."

Mary Margaret took out her list and looked it over. "We can probably get a wall mounted pencil sharpener if one of the class rooms isn't locked. Though I have no idea where we'll find a gold watch."

"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed. "I know where we can get a gold watch. There's this guy on my floor who looks like a real life Disney prince. I think his name's David. Anyway, I remember seeing him wearing a gold watch. Let's find him and see if he'll let us borrow it."

The two girls traveled to the fourth floor, going down the halls. "I know I saw him around here somewhere," Ruby exclaimed as they finished searching the side with the triple rooms and started on the side with the doubles. They finally stopped by room 410 and looked at the two names written on a wipe board (Max Sharkey, David C Nolan.) "I think this is it. Hello!" Ruby called out as she loudly knocked on the door. "Anybody in there?" They waited a few moments, but didn't hear any sounds behind the door. "Looks like no one's home."

"Do you have a bobby pin?"

"Yeah, why?" Ruby asked as she handed one to Mary Margaret. She watched in amazement as the girl put it in the key hole and was able to unlock the door. "You're kind of a badass. When did you learn to do that?"

"My mom had some books that she kept locked in her bureau that I liked to read."

"Why would you keep books locked up?"

"They were erotica novels," Mary Margaret answered with a blush.

 _Maybe she's not such a prude after all_ , Ruby thought as they went into the room. They turned on the light and approached the desks, where Rudy pointed to a framed picture on one of them. "That's him," Ruby stated.

Mary Margaret looked at the photo of a guy with short dirty blond hair whose arms were around a blond haired woman. She then searched the top drawer and then moved onto the second one. "Found it," she called out as she held up a nice looking gold watch.

"What are you doing in my room?" The two girls spun around in fright, seeing David standing in the doorway. His eyes widened as he saw the watch in Mary Margaret's hand. "That's my watch. Give it back to me."

"Run!" Ruby yelled as they sprinted to the door. Instinctively David leapt aside as they charged out of the room and ran down the hall. They ran to the elevators as David ran after them.

"Get back here! I'm going to get you!"

"Here, take it and go. I'll distract him," Mary Margaret said as she gave the watch to Rudy and practically shoved her into the open elevator. "Hey! Over here!" she called out to David as she ran to the stairwell. Just before he reached her she opened the door and slammed it shut.

Mary Margaret raced down the stairwell, keeping ahead of David as she heard the pounding of his feet behind her. Just as she reached the second floor entrance she ran through it and hid behind a wall, waiting for her pursuer to come through. After a few minutes of no one following her she tentatively reentered the stairwell and took it to the ground floor. As she turned a corner David leapt out from behind a large wooden pallet propped against the wall. He grabbed her arm and swung her against the wall before pushing the pallet against her, leaning against it so she was pinned between it and the wall.

"Let me go!" she yelled out as she flared her arms like a T-Rex.

"I told you I'd get you," he replied smugly. "It doesn't matter what you did, I was going to find you."

"So is this how you get all your girls? By physically restraining them? Aren't you a charmer. A real prince charming."

"How do you know my name," he asked in surprise.

Mary Margaret's eyes widened as she put the pieces together. "Wait, David C. Your name is actually Charming."

"It's my middle name," he said self-consciously.

"Oh that is just perfect. You must be quite the charmer Charming."

"Can you just forget it and call me David?" he asked.

"Nope, I like Charming better. It suits you."

"Look-"

"Charming," she said in a sing song voice.

He glared at her, hating the smug look on her face. "Let's make a deal. You give me back my watch right now, and I don't tell campus police you broke into my dorm and stole it from me."

"Can't do that."

"And why is that?" he asked.

"I gave it to a friend."

"The long haired girl?" he said as she nodded her head. "Then I guess the two of you will just have to deal with campus police."

"No wait," she pleaded. "We just took it for a scavenger hunt. Just let me go and I'll give it back to you once we finish the game."

"I hope you'll forgive me on not taking the word of someone who just stole from me." He eyed her up and down as his gaze settled on a bird charm bracelet on her wrist. "Give me your bracelet."

"What?"

"Consider it collateral," he reasoned. "You give me your bracelet and I'll let you go. Then after you return my watch, I'll return your jewelry."

She glared at him as she thought over his proposal. "Fine." She pulled her bracelet off and held it out to him before it slipped from her fingers. "Sorry."

David bent down to pick it up. As soon as his hands were off the pallet Mary Margaret slammed it into him. A wooden plank cracked him in the chin, sending David flying onto his back. Mary Margaret wiggled out from behind the pallet and snatched her bracelet before running around the corner and going through the ground floor door.

"You can't run from me! I will find you!" David yelled as he felt the cut on his chin.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"What happened to you?" Ruby asked as she saw Mary Margaret run out of the building.

"David trapped me in the stairwell to try and get his watch back," Mary Margaret explained.

"Wait, what? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine. But if he goes to campus police about taking his watch I'm getting him on assault. Don't worry," she said off the look Ruby gave her. "He didn't actually hurt me. I got him better then he got me."

"That's good. We still have about half an hour left. Let's find Emma and try to get more stuff."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay, that's 16 items for your team," Leroy said as he counted. "And 18 items for ours. So we win."

"Son of a bitch!" Emma yelled. "Do you know what it took for me to get that ceramic owl? I had the scale the wall of the science building to get it off the window ledge on the third floor."

"Hey, tough break sister. But we got more stuff then you did, so we win," Leroy stated as Emma glared at him.

They all congratulated each other as the girls looked at their pile of items. "Well I'm definitely keeping the owl," Emma declared. "I almost broke my neck getting that thing."

"I've got to get the gnome back to the guys in 709," Rudy said.

"And I've got to return that watch to David. I'm just hoping he's hasn't reported me to public safety within the last hour," Mary Margaret said.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

David went over to his door as he heard the knock behind it, looking through the peep hole before opening it. "Hi."

"Can I come in?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Sure. As long as you don't hit me or steal anything."

"To be fair you were holding me against my will," she said as she came in. Her eyes softened as she noticed the Band-Aid on his chin. "I am sorry I hurt you."

"It's fine. Though I hope it doesn't scar."

"I doubt it will. And if it does people always like a good scar story. Anyway," she said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the watch. "This is for you."

"Thank you," he told her as he took back the watch. "You have no idea how important this is to me."

"What, it was a graduation gift?" she guessed.

"Actually, my father gave it to my mom when he asked her to marry him." He chuckled at the odd look she gave him over that. "When he proposed it was very spur of the moment and he didn't have a ring. So he took off the watch he was wearing and used that instead. He later got her a ring, but she always thought of that watch as her real engagement symbol."

"That's…actually kind of nice," she said.

"I don't know if every woman would think that," he said, his eyes almost darting towards the picture on his desk. "I'm sure if a guy asked you to marry him you'd want a ring."

"Well, there's only one way to find out," she said as she snatched it from his hand and put it on, holding her arm out as she looked at it. As her eyes glanced down at the watch David looked at Mary Margaret, softly taken aback at seeing this girl wearing his mother's engagement watch. Her eyes looked back up at him, feeling a strange feeling of affection for this virtual stranger.

"Yeah, not me at all," she said as she gave it back at him, even though her voice seemed to betray her actual feelings. "Well, thank you for not turning me and my friend over to security."

"Thank you for getting it back to me before I ended up doing that," David said. "Did you at least win your game?"

"No, the other team got more items then we did. But, I did get a good story out of it."

"Same here." He smiled as she went over to the door. "Well, I'm sure I'll see you around. Goodbye Mary Margaret."

"Goodbye Charming."

"I told you, it's David."

"I still like Charming better," she said. The two of them chuckled before she opened the door and walked out, closing it behind her. Once it was closed David kept looking at it, trying to figure out why he was feeling something for this girl, especially since she had stolen from him and hit him in the face. He shook his head before putting the watch back in his drawer.

Mary Margaret walked down the hall before she stopped and looked back at room 410, unsure as to what she was feeling. _You just met this guy_ , she reasoned. _And he has a girlfriend and he annoys the crap out of you. Just forget him._

With that she walked to the elevator to take her to her floor.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank god for flip flops_ , Regina thought as she stepped into the shower stall. Zelena has advised her to wear them in the dorm showers to avoid warts and fungal infections, and she was glad she'd taken the advice. Just the thought of stepping on a shower floor so many other girls also used skeeved her out. And when one factored in others activities that occurred in these stalls, she was even more grateful she'd listened to her sister.

Regina took her shower (staying as far in the center as she could to avoid touching the walls), then dried off and put on her bathrobe before walking back to her dorm. Her roommates had 8AM classes and weren't there, a fact Regina was happy for. Even if it was only the second week of school, she couldn't stand her roommates. Mary Margaret was so excruciatingly cheerful and sweet she felt like she was getting diabetes. And Emma seemed to go out of her way to get on her nerves.

Regina pulled an outfit from her closet before taking an apple from a crate on her closet floor. They were from her apple tree, which was her most treasured possession. Her mom knew how much Regina missed seeing her tree and being able to get fresh apples whenever she wanted, so she sent her back with a large crate of apples when she was home over the weekend. A gesture Regina was extremely grateful for. She had always loved her tree, but within the last year it had taken on a deeper meaning for her.

She started getting dressed when her eyes fell on a framed picture she had put on her desk. It was a family photo taken a few days before she had started her junior year of high school. Zelena was starting her first year of college and they'd brought her up to her school. After they'd finished bringing in all her stuff their father asked someone to take a picture of the four of them in front of Zelena's dorm building. The two girls were in the middle flanked by their parents, with their mother on Zelena's right and their father on Regina's left. Regina smiled sadly as she remembered that day.

" _Is that everything?" Cora asked._

" _Looks like it," Henry informed them as he finished a final inspection of the car._

" _Okay, thanks again. I'll see you on parent's weekend," Zelena stated, eager for her family to get going so she could unpack and decorate her dorm room._

" _I can't wait to visit you and go to a college party," Regina said eagerly,_

" _You're only sixteen Regina. You're not going to any college parties if you visit your sister," Cora sternly stated._

" _Don't worry Mom. I'll make sure Regina doesn't go to any parties when she visits," Zelena replied before winking at her younger sister once their mom looked away._

" _Hold it. Before we go let's get a photo of all four of us before we say goodbye," Henry announced._

" _Dad, come on, we have enough photos of us," Regina groaned as her father pulled a kid carrying a guitar case over to them, while Zelena nodded in agreement._

" _Doesn't mean we can't have more." He showed the kid how to use the camera before situating the four of them in front of the dorm building. "Okay, on three everyone say cheese and bacon. 1, 2, 3."_

" _CHEESE AND BACON!"_

Regina snapped out of her memory as she looked at her clock radio, seeing it was now 9:20am and she only had ten minutes to make it to class. Franticly she finished dressing and raced out the door, in her haste leaving her apple on her desk.

Regina raced out of Mifflin Hall and tore through the quad before almost tripping on an untied shoelace. She stopped and tied her shoe when she was suddenly blinked by a flash of light. "What the hell!"

"Didn't mean to startle you," her flashlight assailant (a well-dressed man holding a large camera) said. "But I was taking pictures for the paper and just had to capture your beauty for all the campus to see. Sidney Glass at your service. Second year student and reporter for the Daily Mirror." He gave a small bow before actually pulling a card out of his pocket. "And what might your name be Mademoiselle?"

"None of your business," Regina replied while unconsciously taking the card. "You almost blinded me with your camera. And I'm pretty sure it's unethical to take someone's picture without permission?

"I can assure you, I always get permission from my subjects before running anything in the paper. Speaking of which, we're doing a story on what freshman think of campus life and I'd love to interview you for the story."

"No thanks. And thanks to you I'm now late for class."

"Call me if you change your mind!" he yelled out as Regina ran away.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell am I going to write about?" Emma said to herself as she walked into the dorm room. Her first paper in her writing and research class was due on Friday and she had no idea what her topic should be. She sat at her desk before her stomach gurgled in hunger. She'd skipped breakfast and was running on empty.

She then noticed an apple sitting on Regina's desk. She knew it would be extremely unwise to take anything that belonged to the uptight brat. But the piece of fruit seemed to call out to her. Before she could stop herself Emma grabbed it and took a big bite. Nodding in approval she tore into the fruit and ate the whole thing.

As she looked at the core Emma felt guilty about eating it, along with apprehension over what Regina would do once she discovered it missing. Wanting to avoid that shit show Emma decided to replace it with one from the cafeteria before Regina got back.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina walked into her room after class, making a beeline for her apple. She hadn't realized she'd forgotten it until class started, and all throughout her lecture her only thought was on that juicy reminder of home sitting on her desk. As she picked it up she frowned, sensing the apple looked different than it had earlier. Tentatively she took a small bite before spitting it into her trash bin. "Ugg." She pulled another apple from her closet and compared the two, concluded the one on her desk was not from her tree.

Slowly she looked over at Emma, who was sitting at her desk staring very intently at her laptop. She marched over and slammed the laptop lid shut, causing Emma to involuntarily flinch. "Care to explain this?" she stated as she waved the offending fruit in her roommate's face.

"It's an apple," Emma replied, trying to play dumb.

"Look closer. This," she stated as she gestured to the apple in her left hand. "Is a honeycrisp apple that I brought up when I was home last weekend. This," she indicated as she shook the partially eaten apple in her right hand. "Is a bland flavorless atrocity from god knows where. Care to explain why it's on my desk instead of the apple I had on their earlier?"

"Okay, so I ate your apple and replaced it. Happy?"

"I told you and Mary Margaret not to touch my stuff. And you _ate_ one of my apples," she hissed.

"I didn't eat breakfast and was hungry, okay," Emma explained defensively, even though she knew she was technically in the wrong on this issue. "I'm sorry I ate your apple. But I replaced it, so it's alright"

"I don't care that you tried to pass off a grainy pesticide loaded knockoff for one of my apple." She chucked the cafeteria apple into her trash bin before getting right up in Emma's face. "Don't ever, _ever_ , touch one of my apples ever again, or you will be in a world of trouble. You have no idea what I am capable of."

"Don't threaten me your _majesty_ ," Emma angrily stated as she stood up. "I've dealt with worse bitches than a spoiled princess like yourself."

With that she plucked the apple out of Regina's hand. She barely turned around before Regina leapt onto her back. "What the fuck!" Emma tried to swing Regina off as the other girl screamed and pried the fruit from her hand. Emma stumbled backwards and fell onto her bed, pushing her body weight into Regina until the girl loosened her grip on her. "What the hell is your problem?" Emma yelled as she scrabbled off the bed. "You just attacked me over a fucking piece of fruit."

"Don't ever…ever…" Regina raged before she finally ran out of the room in a huff.

"Fucking freak!" Emma yelled out. "She attacks me over a piece of fruit. She's a nut job who needs to be taught a lesson."

It was then that Emma smiled as an idea came to her on how to really stick it to Regina. She opened the girl's closet and pulled out the large crate of apples that were in there. She flinched in apprehension as the door suddenly opened before sighing in relief at seeing it was only Mary Margaret. "Hey."

"Hel,lum," she barely got out as she stumbled into the room.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked. "Cause you look like a zombie."

"Been up since six…three back to back classes…and we did sprints in archery class. I'm…" she tiredly tried to explain as she kept yawning.

"Here, have an apple. It'll reenergize you," Emma said sweetly.

Mary Margaret took the apple as she shuffled to her made bed, eating one bite of it before falling face down on the comforter and passing out. "Sleep tight," Emma said as she placed a blanket over her unconscious roommate before picking up the crate and walking out. "Apple delivery!" she called out as she knocked on room 616.

"Hu?" a guy with dreadlocks asked as he opened his door.

"Free apples, compliments of Regina Mills," Emma explained as she handed the guy an apple and tossed two more to his roommates, before moving on to the next room.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

When Regina came back a few hours later her anger had lower to a manageable level. But as soon as she walked in and saw the empty apple crate on her bed it rose to unprecedented heights. "What the hell," she hissed as she looked around and spotted a partially eaten apple on the floor beside Mary Margaret's bed. "Wake up!" she yelled as she roughly shook the other girl.

"What…?" Mary Margaret sleeping asked as she regained consciousness. Her drowsiness was replaced with fear as she saw her enraged roommate hovering over her. "Regina, what's wrong?"

"Where did you get this?" she angrily asked as she picked up the apple. "Did you go into my closet and take it? Did Emma put you up to it?"

"She gave me an apple when I came in and then I fell asleep." Mary Margaret explained. "I swear I didn't realize it was one of yours."

She flinched as Regina threw the bit into piece of fruit against the wall, causing it to explode into several pieces. She raced out of the room, terrified as to what Regina might do to her if she stuck around. Regina went to the empty crate, seeing a note at the bottom. She read the note, her anger rising with each word that scanned under her eyes.

 _I took the liberty of sharing your apples with the good people on the 6_ _th_ _and 5_ _th_ _floors. You were right, they liked them much better than the ones in the cafeteria. Don't worry, I gave you full credit for your generosity._

 _Your thoughtful roommate, Emma._

 _P.S: You have no idea what I'm capable of. Cross me again and next time I'll start a charity drive with your clothes._

Regina shook in anger, seething in rage. That girl had the nerve to give away a crate of apples from her apple tree. She would have actually been less mad if Emma had in fact given away her clothes. What she did was beyond over the line.

Regina took several deep breaths, willing herself to calm down. She was still angry, but slowly it formed from blinding rage to cool calculation. She was going to make Emma pay for what she did. The girl had played her hand, now Regina was ready to begin playing hers. She checked her pocket and found Sidney's card, which included the town house he lived in. Armed with that info she went to pay the reporter a visit.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina knocked on the front door of town house 35, waiting impatiently before the door opened, revealing an overweight guy with tousled hair. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Sidney Glass. Is he here?"

"Yeah, hold on. Sidley!" the boy yelled out. "There's a girl here to see you!"

"Who is it?" Sidney called out as he came into the living room before spotting Regina. "Hello there," he said as he smoothed out his shirt. "What a pleasure to see you again."

"I have to talk to you," she said as she made her way inside. "Alone."

"Of course. Follow me and we can talk," he told Regina as he led her to his bedroom. "I'm glad you decided to change your-"

"I need you to dig up dirt on my roommate."

"I'm sorry," he replied in confusion. "I thought you were here to be interviewed for the story on freshman campus life."

"Don't be an idiot. I'm here because I need someone to get dirt on my roommate and publish it."

"You want me to get dirt on her?" he asked.

"Yes. Police records, damning student transcripts, anything that will humiliate her and get her kicked out of here. She thinks she can take my apples and get away with it. She does not know what she has unleashed," Regina said to herself.

"What?" Sidney asked in confusion. "I don't know what's going on with you and your roommate, but I can't do what you're asking of me."

"You said you were a reporter."

"For a small time college newspaper. The Daily Mirror isn't exactly the New York Times. I don't have the resources to blackmail someone like that. I could try and follow her to see if she does something."

"I need something on her now, not something she might do at some point," Regina exclaimed.

"Then…there might be something we could do," he slowly said.

"Well come on, out with it, what?"

"We can pay a visit to Gold."

"Hu?" she asked. "What are you talking…wait, I've heard people mention that around campus. What is it?"

"Not an it, a he. He's a student named Robert Gold, but everyone just calls him by his last name. He's…basically a one man black market. He can get you anything you need. Term papers, drugs, you name it. But he's also a savant at getting information. You ask him to find something out and he can get it."

"Great, let's go see him. What?" Regina asked at seeing the hesitation on Sydney's face.

"It's just; you have to be careful when dealing with him. He never does anything for free and always gets payment one way or another, and you do not ever want to cross him."

"You're making him sound like a mob boss or the boogie man," she said in mocking jest.

"He's been called several things, even a real life Rumplestiltskin," Sydney reiterated.

At that an image came to Regina of a creepy old man trying to hang out with college students. "What, he's in his 60's and trying to have the 'college experience'?

"No, he's around our age, though something about him makes him seem older. Especially after the accident."

"What accident?" she asked.

"No one really knows what happened. Just that he was out of school long enough last year that he's finishing his sophomore year this semester, and he now walks with a limp."

"Alright, enough with his life story," she snidely replied. "Let's just go and see if he can help me."

"Very well then," he said as he grabbed his jacket.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Somehow I wouldn't have taken this Gold to be a frat guy," Regina said as they walked up the porch steps of the fraternity house.

"He isn't. He just lives in the house," Sydney hastily explained. Regina looked at him in confusion over that statement as Sidney knocked on the door. They waited a few moments before a guy with spiky blond hair opened the door. "Hello Victor."

"What do you want?" he asked in annoyance.

"We're just here to pay a visit to Gold."

"You and most of the others who come tramping over here." he stepped aside to let Sydney in before holding his arm out to stop Regina. "Hey there. I'm guessing you're a freshman since I haven't seen you before. Surprised a girl as hot as yourself wasn't at our welcome party last weekend."

"Yet another reason I'm glad I went home that weekend," Regina replied as she pushed herself past Victor's arm. She followed Sydney down a flight of stairs to a small hallway with a room on both ends. He went to the door on the right and knocked. They heard movement before the door opened, revealing a thin man with a sharp pointed face and swept back hair reaching his shoulders.

"Aw, Sydney. I wasn't expecting you for another week or so. Don't tell me you already used up all the pills I gave you."

"No, I'm here because someone needs your help," Sydney explained as Regina stepped forward. "This here is-"

"Regina Mills," Gold replied as Sydney and Regina looked at him in surprise.

"How did you know my name?" she asked.

"There isn't much on this campus I don't know," he cryptically stated. "But that's not important. The important thing is why you came here. Let's step into my office and talk business."

They stepped aside as Gold came out of the room and walked to the one on the other side of the hall. Regina felt uncomfortable as Gold took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. While at first glance he didn't look intimidating (especially with the cane he used), he had a presence of being someone you would not want to mess with.

They followed him into the room, which was filled with cabinets and shelves holding so many objects it was hard to know what to begin to focus on. "Sydney, wait outside while I talk business with Regina."

"Okay, sure." He started to leave before turning back around. "While I'm here, I might as well buy some more Adderall. My supply is a bit low."

Gold glared at Sydney before taking out a large bottle of pills from a safe and filling an empty prescription bottle with them. "One hundred."

"A hundred dollars?" Sydney asked in disbelief.

"That's correct. Twenty pills at five each, comes to one hundred."

"But last week they were only three dollars a pill," Sidney reasoned.

"It seems there's been an increased need for that particular pill, hence the increase in price. Lot more students going into law and premed than anticipated I take it. So you can either pay me the new amount, or you can go without."

Regina watched the two of them as Sydney glared at Gold and shoved sixty dollars into his hand. Gold simply smirked as he took out eight pills and gave the remaining twelve to the reporter. "Pleasure doing business. Now if you'll excuse us." He waited until Sydney left the room before turning his attention to Regina. "So, Dearie, what's brought you here to seek me out?"

"My roommate. She stole something from me and I need to get something on here to get back at her. And I was told you could help me do that," she finished in a small voice.

"Let me take a guess. You want dirt on her. Something that will humiliate her."

"Not just humiliate. I want something that will get her kicked out of school."

She briefly smiled at that thought before it left her face at the appraising look Gold gave her. "That's a high aspiration to hope for. Luckily everyone has something shameful from their past. Whether or not it's enough to get your roommate kicked out is another story. But, I'll work my magic and see what can be turned up. Who is this roommate I'll be investigating?"

"Her name is Emma Swan. Also, what…how much would something like this cost?" she asked.

"Hard to say. What you're asking is trickier then simply selling some pills to your friend out there. I can't give a price until after the job's done. But trust me, I'm sure I'll come up with an appropriate payment," he said cryptically.

"I'm not having sex with you, if that's what you're thinking," Regina stated.

For a moment she thought he would get mad over that. But instead he let out an impish laugh that chilled her to the bone. "Seems you've got some fire in you. Lucky for you, I never mix business with pleasure. Take care and I'll get back to you once I've found something."

"Alright," she said as she backed out of the room, wanting to get away from him. "Let's go," she said to Sydney as they walked upstairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina waited impatiently for Gold to contact her. During that time she put up with Emma giving her smug looks whenever they were in the room together, as if daring her to try something. _Just wait until I'm through with you_ , she thought each time she looked at Emma's stupid face.

It was over a week later when she got a call one evening. "Hello?"

" _Gold. You should be happy to hear I've got what you requested_."

"You did?" she excitedly replied. "Great, bring it over."

" _I don't make house calls. You want it; you're going to have to come to me_."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, what did you find?" she asked as she stepped into Gold's, for lack of a better description, shop/office. "Will it get her kicked out of school?"

"There are rarely true guarantees in life," he stated as he held up a folder. "However, used properly, I'd say the acquired info would be sufficient in getting Emma Swan expelled from school."

She eyed the folder before taking her wallet out of her purse. "So how much is it going to be?"

"As I mentioned, this was tricky info to come by. To where I'll want something besides money for it."

"What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Your roommate wasn't the only person I researched," Gold stated as he waved his free hand to another nearby folder. "It seems you have some interesting tidbits regarding your life. Though I should say it's a shame what happened to your dad."

Regina's eyes widened in surprise at that unexpected remark. "Don't ever mention my father again."

"There's that fire again," he said with a smirk. "Though I'm more interested in your mother, and the fact that she's running for a state senate seat. While she's not running apposed, all projections suggest she's going to win by a considerable margin come November."

"And what does that have to do with anything?" she asked.

"I'm a man who likes having friends in high places. And a state senator, or more specifically the daughter of a state senator who owes me a favor, would be a valuable commodity."

"What would you want from my mom if she wins?" Regina asked.

"That's the beauty of being owed a favor. One can use it when it bet suits them."

"Why can't I just pay you for the info," Regina reasoned.

"Because favors are more valuable than money, and getting the info you requested was by no means simple," he said impatiently. "A favor from your mother once she's senator, for the chance at getting your roommate expelled. Do we have a deal?"

Regina considered the deal that was offered. On the one hand she knew it was unwise to involve her mother in any of this. But on the other she did want Emma gone. And what could Gold possibly want her mother to do for him anyway? Get him a job once he graduated? "You're sure this will get Emma expelled?"

"As I said, there's no guarantee that will happen. But used properly, you'll have a real shot. And even if she doesn't get kicked out, I can guarantee she will be humiliated."

"Alright, you have a deal."

"Perfect," he replied with another impish laugh before handing her the folder. "Pleasure doing business. I'll be seeing you."

Regina quickly left Gold's room and walked out of the frat house before opening the folder. She frowned as the first thing she saw was a picture of an old man who reminded her of a bald eagle. Recognizing the man as Albert Spencer, president of the school, Regina looked at the page behind it of info on the man, along with a post it stating 'how to use the info on your friend'. She turned the page where a police record and copy of court records lay before her. Regina skimmed through them before going back and reading them thoroughly, a smile forming as she realized exactly what she was holding. "I've got you Emma." She marched to the media building to put the first part of her plan into effect.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Come in," Sydney called out. He looked up as the door opened and Regina marched in. "Why isn't this a pleasant surprise. The freshman life story is already written. But I could add in a quick quote before we put the paper to bed."

"Forget about that crap. I've for a real story for you." She shoved the folder into his hand and took a seat as he looked through it.

"From the looks of it, it seems Gold came through for you."

"He came through for both of us. Think about it Sydney. Writing a story about Emma, exposing her as a danger to this school. That's real journalism."

"That it is," he replied thoughtfully.

"This is a win for the both of us. I get my roommate kicked out of here, and you get recognition for bringing the truth of a dangerous criminal to light. You could even earn this paper a journalism award if you do a good enough job," Regina stated.

"That would be a win for the Mirror," he said. "So, it seems an agreement has been struck." He pulled out two bottles of water from a nearby mini fridge and handed one to Regina. "To, what I hope will be a lucrative partnership."

"To our partnership," Regina replied as they clinked the plastic bottles together. _And getting Emma Swan out of here._

 **Author's note: Since I couldn't recall if Mr. Gold's Storybrook self had a first name, I gave him the first name of the actor who portrays him. Though for the most part he'll just be referred to by his last name in this fic. I also wanted to specify that the guy who let Regina and Sydney into the frat house, Victor, is Dr. Whale. Like Mr. Gold, I couldn't find a first name for him for his Storybook identity, so in this story his first name will be from his World Without Color identity and his last name will be from his Storybrook Identity.**


	4. Chapter 4

Mary Margaret opened her eyes and looked at her alarm clock, seeing it was a couple minutes after 7am. Though her 8am class that day was canceled (her teacher had told them during the last class he would be gone for a few days and was canceling classes for the rest of the week), she decided to get up anyway and go jogging. It was a bright sunny September morning, and since it would only be a matter of time before the cold winters of Maine came roaring in, Mary Margaret wanted to take advantage of the good weather while she could. Careful not to wake her still sleeping roommates she changed into an old t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants before setting off.

Once she was outside Mary Margaret decided to stop by the cafeteria to get a bottle of water before she began running. She walked through the campus center and entered the café when she saw someone getting a cup of coffee. Her eyes widened when she realized the person was David. She contemplated walking back outside when he spotted her. "Mary Margaret?"

"Charming. Hi."

"I told you, it's David," he said as he came over to her.

"Right," she replied, suddenly feeling self-conscious at being seen in a ratty t-shirt and sweats with holes in them. "How are you?"

"Good. You still stealing people's watches?"

"Nope," she replied with irritation. "Still trapping girls in stairwells?"

"Not as of late, since no one else has tried to steal from me. That and I'd like to avoid getting hit in the face with a wooden plank is again."

"I am sorry about that," she said as she looked at the healing cut on his chin.

"No you're not," he replied smugly.

"You're right, I'm not," she declared in annoyance. "Especially since it did nothing to deflate your ego." With that she grabbed a bottle of water and went over to pay for it.

"I take it you're not a morning person," he stated as he joined her at the register.

"I am. You just seem to bring out the irritated side of me," she said as they paid for their drinks. "And where are you off to?"

"Well since you asked, I have an 8am lab Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I always stop here at 7:15 to get coffee beforehand," he explained.

"If your lab is at 8am why do you get your coffee so early?" she asked.

"My professor said anyone who shows up a half hour early and helps set up equipment will get extra credit. So I actually get there at 7:30."

"I wish one of my professors gave us a chance to get extra credit. Well, I should get going," she said as she starting walking out of the cafeteria.

"Wait," he replied as he came over to her. "Do you maybe want to, what?" he asked as she picked up a copy of the newest issue of The Daily Mirror and looked at the cover with wide eyes. "What is it?"

"I have to go," she hurriedly said as she raced out of the café.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma groaned as she pulled herself out of bed. _Why didn't I think having a 8am class through_ , she asked herself. True, it was only two days a week. But it was still a hassle to get up that early. Especially after staying up until 3am to watch a Witchblade marathon.

She grabbed her books and left for class, still wearing the pajama pants and tank top she'd slept in. From experience she knew she wouldn't be the only person showing up to class in their pajamas, especially one that was before noon. As she walked to the elevator she saw some people whispering in the hallway. For a moment she wondered if they were talking about her, especially since they stopped once she walked by. But she shrugged it off and chalked it up to paranoia.

Emma walked out of the building when she saw a few students laughing about something in the school paper. "There she is," one said as they pointed at her. "The school celebrity."

"More like delinquent," a girl snickered as she held up her hands mockingly. "Oh, please don't steal my stuff big bad Emma."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked.

"You're famous sister," one of the guys (who Emma recognized as Leroy) sneered as he thrust the paper in her hands. "Must be why you were so good at stealing stuff for that scavenger hunt."

Emma looked in shock as she saw her mug shot on the front page. She franticly read the article, feeling sick with each passing word.

 _ **Danger Hiding in Plain Sight, by Sidney Glass**_

 _We'd like to think those sitting in class next to us are honest trustworthy individuals. But sadly, a bad egg has somehow made it through the cracks. That bad egg is freshman Emma Swan, a delinquent and criminal who is not to be trusted. A ward of the state who has run from a string of group homes and foster care, Emma is no stranger to being on the wrong side of the law. A source has revealed that Emma Swam has committed several crimes in her young life, including shoplifting, contempt of cop, and destruction of property. The most damning of her crimes occurred when she was sixteen, where she and an accomplice acquired stolen watches and planned to sell them for money. Thankfully, when the time came to sell the stolen items police apprehended Emma, who were tipped off by none other than her partner in crime. Court reports state that due to Emma's age, a light sentence of four months in a juvenile detention center was issued, followed by six months probation. Though given that this was merely the latest and most severe of a series of brushes Emma Swan has had with the law, one wonders if a harsher sentence would have been more beneficial._

 _While some might say 'the past is in the past' and we should give this person the benefit of the doubt over an incident from their youth, others have a more realistic opinion on the matter of attending school with a felon. "This makes perfect sense," says freshman and roommate Regina Mills. "Ever since school started little things of mine keep going missing. Now I know why. Personally, I don't feel safe sharing a room or even going to school with this criminal. It would be in our best interest if she wasn't here."_

 _The decision to accept Miss. Swan to Storybrook University in the first place questions the decision capabilities of the acceptance board and university president Albert Spencer. If they could allow such a dangerous element into this university, what other dangers are they overlooking? Hopefully unearthing Miss. Swan's past will bring to light other oversights our school board doesn't want revealed._

Emma's hands shook as she finished the article, shocked at what she had read. The arrest and jail time were supposed to be essentially blacked out. How was it possible that this reporter could obtain records that were sealed by court order?

"Can I have my paper back, or are you going to steal that too?" Leroy asked.

She forcefully shoved it into his hands before storming back inside, needing to get away from his daunting face. For once she had felt like she belonged someplace. But now her past had come back to ruin everything. As she ran the details of the article through her head Emma recalled the student that had been interviewed for the article, Regina. And suddenly it seemed too much of a coincidence that this article was written a little over a week after the princess's precious apples went missing.

Emma purposely got in the elevator and went to the 6th floor. But as she got off the elevator she saw Mary Margaret approaching their room. At seeing her roommate Emma almost choked up with apprehension. Being mocked by strangers over her past was bad enough. But having someone she was starting to consider a friend do that would be devastating. Before she could be seen Emma quickly turned around and walked/sprinted to the lounge at the end of the hall, throwing the door open and slamming it shut once she was inside.

"Easy there."

She spun around in apprehension, having expected the room to be empty. But instead she saw a handsome guy with light brown hair and a light bread standing a few feet from the dart board. "Haven't you heard it's not nice to scare people?"

"Well, I was in here already, so technically you scared me first when you burst in here," he replied

Her anger over the article was temporarily nullified as she heard the boy speak. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"Belfast Ireland, originally. But I moved to the states at fifteen when my father got relocated."

She walked over to him as he stood a few feet from a dart board and threw it at the edge of the bull's eye. "Not bad." It was then that she noticed a copy of the school paper on the floor near his feet.

"What?" he asked off the expression of disgust on her face. His eyes glanced down before he grasped the situation. "Oh that. I wouldn't put much stock on that rubbish. Just because some journalist writes something doesn't mean it's true."

"Hate to burst your optimism, but what's in the article is true. So go ahead and judge me like everyone else."

"I wasn't going to judge you," he replied. "So you made a few mistakes when you were younger. Everyone's done things they aren't proud of. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't get a second chance."

She looked at him, surprised at finding someone who wasn't judging or mocking her over going to juvie.  
"What's your name?"

"Graham. What's yours?"

"Pretty sure you already know it," she said as she nodded towards the paper.

"Yeah, but I'd rather hear it from you then an article."

Despite her bad mood she couldn't help chuckling at that one. "Okay. My name's Emma."

"Okay Emma. Would you like to join me in a game of darts? Might help take your mind off things."

 _You're going to make a lot of people hot and bothered with that accent of yours_ , she thought before telling him she's love to play darts. She grabbed a few and began throwing them at the dart board, imagining each of them hitting Regina's face.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina practically skipped in joy as she entered Mifflin Hall with a large number of school papers under her arm. Right now Sidney's article was being read all over campus, and Emma was being seen as an untrustworthy delinquent. And it was only a matter of time before she was kicked out of school for her crimes. Until then Regina was going to make sure Emma remaining days here was miserable, starting with covering the walls of their dorm room with copies of the article. _This will teach her not to mess with me_ , she thought.

As she walked into her room her foot skidded on some paper just inside the doorway. Looking down she saw two pieces of mail, one addressed to her and the other to Emma. She picked up and opened her piece, seeing from the stationary it was from the Office of the University President.

 _Dear Miss. Mills._

 _This summons is to inform you you are being called to a hearing with University President Albert Spencer on Wednesday Sept 21_ _st_ _at 11am, in regards to an article that recently appeared in the university paper the Daily Mirror. Failure to report to said meeting will result in swift and immediate disciplinary action against you._

 _Signed,_

 _Meredith Harting_

 _Secretary to the President_

Regina's insides ran cold as she finished reading letter. _Why the hell would the University President want to see me_ , she thought. _I didn't do anything. Emma's the one who should be in trouble, not me. Was it because I saw Gold and got that file from him? But how would anyone even know about that?_

With that she stormed out to try and get some answers.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina pounded on the door of Townhouse 35 before it opened. "Thank god," she exclaimed at the answering person being Sidney. "I need to talk to you-"

"Get in here," he hissed as he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her inside.

"What the hell?" she cried as he pulled her into his bedroom.

"I just got a summons from Albert Spencer for a meeting with him tomorrow morning," he explained.

Regina's face paled as she took in what he just said. "You got one also?"

"Also?"

"I got a letter for a meeting with him too. And from the other envelope I saw I'm guessing Emma got one to," she said.

"What the hell are we going to do?" he said as he paced.

"Just calm down, okay," she said, trying to mask her own nerves. "We didn't do anything wrong."

"I printed an article with info from official court records and police reports, which I'm sure was not obtained legally. Not to mention I basically insulted both the school president and administration board. I could get expelled for this. I never should have listened to you."

"Hey, don't place this on me," she exclaimed. "I didn't exactly twist your arm on this. You had no problem writing that article when you thought it would lead to a journalism award. Okay, let's think for a second," she said as she let out a breath. "If we have to we can tell him we got the info from Gold and use that as leverage-"

"No!" Sydney cried out. "Mentioning Gold is the last thing we want to do. We don't want to be on his bad side."

"Gold's just a student. Who do you fear more; him or the University President?" she asked.

"Honestly, I fear both of them."

Regina blinked at hearing that, unnerved at Gold bringing forth such fear, and over the fact that she still owed this guy a favor. "Okay fine, so bringing up Gold is out. Let's think about this. Isn't the identity of sources for stories supposed to be protected? Where Spencer can't make us say where we got the info on Emma from?"

"Normally. But you don't know him. He's extremely intimidating and pushes until he gets what he wants. And I'm sure what he wants if to punish me for questioning him and the school board in the article," Sidney explained.

"Alright!" she yelled. "What if we forget where the info came from and just focus on Emma and how she's a menace. We say we can across the info on her and published it to warn the school and you got carried away with questioning his decision making."

"Maybe," Sidney said uncertainly. "Although it would help if he thought Emma was a menace right now instead of just from before she came to school. You said she's been stealing from you?"

"Right, my apples," Regina replied in delight. "I'll tell him she stole my apples from me. Then he'll know she's the same as she was when she went to juvenile jail. I know he'll kick her out then."

"Yeah. Although it would help if we knew Emma would confess to what happened, so it's not just a she said/she said situation," Sydney reasoned.

"Yes," Regina replied as she thought about how to best make sure that happened _. Maybe looking through that file again will help me with Emma and Spencer_ , she thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma stood just inside her room, her hands slightly shaking as she reread the letter that had been on the floor. _This day keeps getting worse and worse_ , she thought. While she was playing a game of darts with Graham a few people came into the lounge room. And as soon as they saw her they started mocking her over her criminal past. Even though Graham defended her she ran away from the jeering, and ended up spending the rest of the day hiding and trying to avoid people, specifically Ruby and Mary Margaret. And now that she had finally risked returning to her room she learned she had to meet with the president of the school tomorrow regarding the article that was written about her.

She flinched as the door opened and Mary Margaret stood in the doorway. "Emma! I've been looking for you all day."

"Why, so you could mock me," she replied, immediately on the defensive.

Mary Margaret looked at Emma, hurt over that accusation. "I was worried about you. After I saw that article-"

"Yeah, you know about my criminal past. Not everyone is a pampered goodie two shoes!"

"Emma, I'm not trying to make fun of you over this," Mary Margaret said with sincerity.

"Well don't worry, because I won't be around much longer."

"Wait, what? What's going on?" Mary Margaret asked her roommate.

"Apparently everyone thinks I'm a dangerous criminal, because I have a meeting with the university president tomorrow!" Emma yelled as she waved the summons around. "Because of that article I'm going to get kicked out or lose my scholarship or who knows what! So don't worry about me, because soon I'll be gone and won't have to deal with me!"

With that Emma stormed down the hallway, ignoring her roommate's calls as she took the stairs to the lobby and left the building. She walked briskly to the parking lot with her head down, thankful it was nighttime and not too many people were outside. Once she made it to the bug and got inside Emma realized she had been excessively hostel to Mary Margaret. But after years of being rejected and hurt she had developed an acute flight and flight response when she felt threatened. And she knew it would hurt less to strike at her roommate first then take a chance at being rejected by someone she had started to think of as an actual friend. It didn't always make sense, but it was how she'd learned how to cope growing up.

With that she got out of the front seat and laid down in the back, exhaustion taking over from the stressful events of the day. Images of people mocking her and smashing in Regina's face filled her head before sleep took hold of her.

When she came to sunlight was hitting her in the face. She sleepily looked at her watch before she sprang up at seeing it was 11:16am. _I've got to get to the hearing_ , Emma thought as she franticly got out of her car and raced to the President's house. She franticly searched before finally locating it, racing inside and tearing through a hallway and then up a flight of stairs before arriving on the second floor. "Sorry I'm late," she gasped as she clutched her side. "I'm Emma Swan, here for a meeting with President Spencer."

"You're appointment was promptly at 11am Miss. Swan," a woman with greying brown hair (who Emma guessed was Secretary Meredith Harting) sternly stated. "Lucky for you there were two other students Mr. Spencer had to see so we were able to start without you. Otherwise you would be in a world of trouble. Take a seat and wait until it's your turn to be seen," she said as she gestured to a set of chairs outside of the president's office.

Emma sat down before seeing that Regina was sitting in a chair opposite her. At seeing her roommate Emma was filled with rage, and wanted nothing more than to attack the bitch. But she managed to keep her anger in check, afraid of what would happen if she started yelling.

As she looked at Regina's perfectly chic appearance she became aware at just how cruddy she had to look. She hadn't showered or combed her hair in over 48 hours, and was wearing the same tank top and pajama pants she'd slept in for the past two nights. She was sure she looked and smelled like hell, which was not how she wanted to present herself when she met with Spencer. But since there was no way she could do anything about her appearance, Emma just had to hope it wouldn't count that much against her.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes," Regina whispered.

"Not now Regina," Emma practically growled.

"I'm sure your appearance will just _endear_ yourself to President Spencer," Regina stated with a smirk. "Though it might not make that much of a difference. I made sure to dress up for my meeting and it didn't seem to make a difference in how he treated me."

"You already saw him?" Emma asked.

"Yup. Sydney's in there now. I'm just waiting for him." She sighed as she glanced at the door. "If you want my advice, I'd be honest with him about why you're here. He's good at sniffing out a lie."

"You mean how you somehow dug up sealed records from my past and published them?"

"Sydney wrote the article. All I did was provide a quote when he interviewed me," Regina replied innocently.

"Sure, that's all you did," Emma said sarcastically, guessing the brunette wasn't being entirely truthful. "I find it quite a coincidence that article came out right after I gave your _precious_ apples away."

Regina's eyes narrowed slightly as she gestured her head towards the office. "Actually, that was the main point that came up during my meeting. He asked me about what I said in the article and I told him how you stole my apples and gave them away. He was more interested in that then in what you did in your past."

"Sure, that's what he was concerned with," Emma replied in disbelief.

"Fine, don't believe me. But if I were you I'd tell him the truth about what you did, because I guarantee he'll pull it out of you one way or another. That man's ruthless at sniffing out a lie, and treats you worse if he catches you in one. Trust me, it's better if you come clean on your own then if he grills you until you crack."

Emma scoffed at Regina's words, sure the girl was just trying to gloat her into incriminating herself. Though that didn't stop a splinter of doubt to creep into her thoughts as she wondered if Regina might just be right. _Don't believe her_ , she thought. _She's just trying to mess with you._

The two of them sat in tense silence before Regina looked at her watch. "I've got class in ten minutes," she said as she got up. "Tell Sydney I'll speak to him later."

"Tell him yourself, I'm not your secretary" _,_ Emma replied under her breath as Regina strode out of the room. She glanced at Spencer's office, wondering how much longer Sydney was going to be in there for. The suspense was killing her and she just wanted to get this meeting, and her eventual expulsion, over with.

 _What if she's right_ , she thought. _What if he is just interested in me stealing those apples_? On the one hand it seemed absurd that he'd care about that more than her going to juvie. But it was possible that he'd care more about something she did right now verses something she did when she was younger. And if that was the case, confessing to it could bring her some leniency.

It wouldn't be the first time being honest about her crimes worked out for her. When she had gone up in front of the judge regarding the stolen watches she confessed right away and showed remorse for her actions. She always suspected that was the reason the judge had showed leniency on her and only sentenced her to four months in juvenile hall instead of the typical length of six months to a year. So it was entirely possible that being upfront and honest about what had happened could keep her from being kicked out of school or losing her scholarship.

Just then the door opened and Sydney came out, looking visibly upset as he walked past her without even a glance. Before she could say a word she heard her name called from the room. Her nerves increasing tenfold she shakily got up and walked into the office.

"Close the door behind you," President Spencer stated. He waited until the door was closed and she took a seat in front of his desk before continuing. "I'm sure you're aware as to why I've called you in here."

"Yes sir," Emma replied as she looked at Spencer, the man reminding her of a bald eagle full of contempt instead of majesty. She took a breath as she instantly decided as to how to proceed. "I'm here because of the apples."

"What?"

"The apples Regina told you I stole from her. She had a crate of them and after we got into a fight I took them and gave them out to people on my floor. It was wrong of me to take them and I'm sorry for my actions."

She looked at Spencer hoping to see sympathy on his face, and instead felt dread at the sneer on his lips instead. "Actually, Ms. Mills made no mention of this. You were called in here based on the recent revelation that you were once in juvenile hall. But I'm glad this new info has been brought to my attention, as it proves that your criminal nature is not limited to actions of your past."

Emma tried to keep her face passive as inside she seethed, the realization that Regina tricked her into admitting she stole from her made her want to scream in rage. _Shit, fucking shit_ , she thought.

"Obviously, this news that you stole watches and went to juvenile hall is quite concerning, and frankly an embarrassment to Storybrook University," Spencer continued. "We strive to accept students of good moral character, and because some bleeding heart judge hid these facts from the general public we not only accepted a criminal, but gave her a full scholarship. Given the nature of your past crimes, and the just learned fact that your criminal habits weren't quelled from being in juvenile hall, I would have no problem with throwing you out of this university immediately."

Tears began to form in Emma's eyes as she waited to officially be kicked out of school. But instead Spencer sighed in frustration as he continued. "However, it seems that before this meeting I was approached by your guidance counselor Tracy Blue early this morning, who _reminded_ me that according to the school charter a student cannot be removed from school based on actions that occurred before their education tenure begins. Past actions can impact on whether they ultimately are accepted. But once they are accepted, they cannot be thrown out or lose academic accolades such as scholarships for something they did in their past."

Emma waited on bated breath, a sliver of hope coming over her as the man kept speaking. "It would also seem that two students have come forward on your behalf, a Miss. Mary Margaret Blanchard and Miss. Ruby Lucas. Both freshman spoke highly of you, commenting on how you are a _model_ student and overall decent person."

"So what are you saying?" Emma asked tentatively, not wanting to assume anything until she heard it officially from him.

"I'm saying that despite my personal feelings on the matter, I have no authority to throw you out of here based on actions you committed before your acceptance. So for the moment, both your place at this school and your scholarship are secured. Though I can assure you in the future I will make it my priority to check into the backgrounds of incoming students more closely."

"Thank you," Emma replied gratefully. "Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means-"

"I'm not finished," he said sternly as he cut her off. "While I may not be able to remove you from school because of your past, do not assume I'm going to forget it either. For the reminder of your time here I will make it my priority to keep a close eye on you. And if you should step out of line and embarrass both myself and this school again, I will make sure you are punished to the highest extent possible. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes sir," she said meekly.

"Now onto the matter of the apples you stole and distributed."

 _Oh my god, we're still on those stupid apples_ , she thought.

"Normally such petty matters don't even reach me and my office. But since you so _generously_ told me of your crime, I'll punish you myself. I'm assigning you 24 hours of janitorial service. You are to report to the custodial head of your dorm building who will assign your hours, and send a report to me stating you completed your hours. Failure on your part to complete the hours assigned will result in further, more severe punishment. In addition you are now on academic probation until the end of this semester. If you behave yourself and don't get into any additional trouble it will automatically be lifted at the beginning of next semester. Otherwise it will be extended until the end of the school year. Understood?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Good. Now get out of here Miss. Swan. For your sake, I hope we don't have to see each other again until graduation."

Emma nodded her head nervously as she scrambled out of the office. As she briskly walked out of the room several thoughts and feelings came over her. Relief that she wasn't being kicked out and was still able to keep her scholarship. Anger at Regina for tricking her into admitting to giving away the apples. But mostly she felt a sense of gratefulness to Miss. Blue, Mary Margaret and Ruby. They stood up for her when she needed someone the most. Rarely had she ever had people go to the mat for her like that. It made her feel that there really were people in her life now that truly cared about her.

She walked out the President's house when she saw Ruby get off a nearby bench and come over to her. "Emma! I came to your room earlier but Mary Margaret said you never came home last night. We were both waiting for you but she had to go to class, but she asked me to let her know what happened as soon as possible. Did Spencer say you could stay? If he kicked you out we can definitely fight it. My roommate Belle and I looked over the charter and there's no way he can throw you out because-"

Ruby stopped speaking as Emma engulfed her in a tight hug. "Thank you," she said emotionally. Generally she wasn't good as expressing herself, so she hoped her hug conveyed just how much she valued what Ruby had done for her. "What you and Mary Margaret did, I can't tell you what it means…"

"It wasn't a problem," Ruby replied. "That's what friends do for each other."

"But that's just it," Emma said as she pulled back. "I've never really had…I don't really have any friends."

"Oh," Ruby softly said, getting a better sense regarding Mary Margaret's recalling of Emma jumping down her throat the night before. "Well, I can tell you you now have two people who will stand by you. Now please tell me you're still going to school here."

"No, Spencer didn't kick me out," Emma said as Ruby let out a loud sigh of relief. "Though he definitely wanted to. I did get probation and community service because of taking Miss. Bitch's apples. But I'm still here."

"Thank god," Ruby replied. "I knew he couldn't do it, but that guy's a real hard ass. We checked things thoroughly, but I was still afraid he's find some loophole or something."

"No, it worked out. Okay, I'm going to see Miss. Blue and thank her for also standing up for me."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"You're off the paper?" Regina repeated in disbelief. "But we looked into it and the charter says the president can't dictate editorial policy."

"No he can't. But my editor can," Sydney bitterly said. "And all it took was one call from Spencer to get him to drop me. Do you know what happens to a second year journalism major who can't write? It means my portfolio will hardly have any articles in it. And my chances in getting a job after graduating are now next to nil. I never should have listened to a freshman, even if she's a hot piece of ass."

"What?" Regina said dangerously. "I will not be spoken to that way, no matter what happened to you."

"I don't care, alright! My livelihood is over!"

"You were right there with me," Regina reminded him. "You were the one who suggested going to Gold. You were the one who agreed to write that article. Don't act like you're an innocent victim just because this whole thing blew up in our faces."

"Our faces!" he yelled. "What happened to you? You said all he did was grill you on where I got the info for the article from. You got off clean."

"It's not my fault he just thought you quoted me because I'm Emma's roommate," Regina explained as she kept the guilt inside her from showing itself. She knew how lucky she was to have escaped her meeting without getting into trouble, though it was mostly the result of being that as far as Spencer knew, her involvement in the article was just providing a quote. He had suspected she knew more than she was letting on and grilled her pretty hard. But she kept her cool and was able to get out of there unscathed.

"Exactly!" Sydney yelled. "You caused all this and I'm the only one who got punished. How is that fair?" He continued to rant as Regina tuned him out, pissed with how this had all gone down. She hoped that after all this Emma was still going to be kicked out, because otherwise this was all for nothing.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hello?" Emma said as she stuck her head into Miss. Blue's office.

"Yes?" The woman stiffly asked. "Hello Emma."

"Hi," she replied, too happy to notice the woman's stern demeanor. "I wanted to thank you for standing up for me with President Spencer. You kept me from getting kicked out of school."

"If I had known the whole story, I wouldn't have bothered," the guidance counselor replied.

"What?" Emma said, her smile quickly leaving her face. "What's going on? Why are you mad at me?"

"I just got a call from Albert Spencer, who told me about you stealing apples from your roommate and selling them to students."

 _Are you fucking kidding me? This again_ , Emma thought. "That's what you're so angry about? It was just a stupid prank I pulled."

"Maybe it's a prank to you, but to others it was a crime. I stuck my neck out for you, stating that watch incident was a mistake from your past and you were a model student. And now I find out you're fencing stolen items. I looked like a fool."

"I'm sorry," Emma meekly replied. "I didn't mean to humiliate you."

"Well you did. So don't expect any more favors from me. I only help students who deserve it. Now if you'll excuse me." With that she came out of the room and locked the door, glaring at Emma before briskly walking away.

Emma stood in the hallway, fighting back tears. For a belief moment she truly thought this woman was someone who cared for her and would help her out. And now she hated her, all because of what happened with Regina's stupid apples.

Suddenly Emma's feelings of pain were replaced with anger. This whole thing went back to Regina. With that Emma stormed off for a long overdue confrontation with her roommate.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina didn't look up from her laptop when the door to her room opened. She continued typing when the screen was suddenly slammed shut. "What the hell!"

"We need to talk," Emma said.

"Okay. How did your meeting go?" she asked snidely.

"I'm wasn't kicked out, if that's what you were hoping for. I'm stuck doing community service because of your precious apples. But I'm still here."

"I'm so glad to hear," Regina said, barely able to mask her surprise and anger over the news. "I can't tell you-"

"Shut up, I'm speaking now," Emma said as she got right in Regina's face. "I have no idea how you and that reporter found those court records. But do not think I'm going to just let this go. You tried to get me kicked out of school. I hope it was worth it, because now this is war. And trust me, that apple stunt is _nothing_ compared to what I'm going to do with you."

 **Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I wasn't completely motivated to write it, especially since I'm more looking forward to what comes later on. For those who are wondering why Emma couldn't tell Regina was lying outside of Spencer's office, her 'superpower' will be downplayed in this story. Also as a heads up, even though Emma declared war on Regina at the end of this chapter, don't expect a huge blowout to come. Things will be happening to them in school that will be more important than their feud.**


	5. Chapter 5

Despite Emma's declaration of war, she ended up not following through with it. She was still furious at Regina for exposing her past in the school paper. But her meeting with Spencer had shaken her deeply, especially since she only avoided expulsion by a mere technicality. And since she didn't want to risk getting expelled again, she decided it was best to not get revenge on Regina. She would have loved to have changed roommates, but she liked rooming with Mary Margaret and there weren't any empty double rooms available. So Emma just decided to put up with the bitch as best she could. She did a few little things to annoy her, like turning off the dryer mid cycle when Regina was doing laundry so her clothes would stay soaked. But for the most part she simply hated Regina without executing any real plans of revenge.

In turn Regina didn't seek out to further retaliate against Emma either. For one thing, things didn't go off as planed with her last scheme. Because of her actions Sydney ended up getting kicked off the school paper. While she tried to tell herself she was only concerned because she lost a potentially valuable resource, deep down she felt guilty that her vendetta led to him losing his place on the paper. She also couldn't help being nervous about her eventual favor to Gold. The guy had creeped her out during their two meetings, and it didn't help that whenever people mentioned him it was with apprehension in their voices. And since she was afraid she'd go to him again for another favor if her vendetta against Emma escalated, she decided it'd be in her best interest to cool down her thirst for vengeance.

So coincidentally, both girls in the end came up with the same strategy: hate each other and stay out of each other's way, and once the school year ended never see each other again.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Little Emma couldn't stop smiling as the school bus took her home. Her parents were going to be so proud of her. She got a 100 on her spelling test. A perfect score. Once she showed them the test paper they would praise her and tell her how much they loved her. They might even take her out to dinner to celebrate._

 _The Swans were what every orphan hoped for; a real family. They had taken her in two years ago when she was four, telling her how much they loved her and wanted a child. It had taken her some time to trust them, but slowly she came to see them as the parents she always wanted. When they told her that they were officially adopting her she had been ecstatic beyond belief. Now it was just a few more months of paperwork and whatnot before she was officially part of the Swan family._

 _Instantaneously she found herself off the bus and in front of her front door. Emma opened the door and walked into her home. "Mommy! I've got a big surprise," she cried out. She walked into the living room where she found both her parents sitting on the loveseat. "Daddy! How come you're home early?"_

" _Emma, please sit down. We have to talk," Mr. Swan said._

 _Emma bounded to the adjacent couch, not noticing the serious looks on their faces. "I got a 100 on my spelling test," she said as she waved the paper around._

" _Emma honey, there's something we have to tell you," Mrs. Swan stated. "I just found out that I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby."_

" _Really! Oh boy!" Emma cried out excitedly. "I'm going to be a big sister!"_

" _Emma…" Mrs. Swan trailed off, her face contorting in emotion._

" _Emma, listen," Mr. Swan took over. "This house is very small, and we don't have another spare room for the baby."_

" _The baby can stay in my room. I don't mind sharing," Emma said, not grasping what they were getting at._

" _It's not just about living space. You know we don't have a lot of money, and things are tight just raising one child. Now we have a baby on the way and that takes a lot of time and expense to raise. So, we've decided it's best if you no longer lived in this household."_

" _What?" Emma said in fear._

" _I'm sure it will just be temporary," Mrs. Swan said hopefully. "You'll go back to the group home for just a little bit, and someone else will come along and take you in."_

 _Emma looked at her parents in fear, hoping she woke up any second from this horrible nightmare. "But I'm your daughter. You said we were a family."_

" _I know we said that, but that was before…When we took you in we didn't think we could have children of our own. But now we've been blessed with this little miracle. And I'm sorry, but we just can't afford two children," Mrs. Swan said, a few tears falling at seeing the hurt expression on Emma's face._

 _Emma looked around in fear as the room dissolved and changed, to where her things were in boxes and a social worker was standing next to her. "Come along Emma. It's time to go."_

" _But I don't want to go!" Emma cried. "I want to stay here!"_

" _Just get her out of here," Mr. Swan said as he seemed to disappear from the room._

" _Emma, sweetie," Mrs. Swan said soothingly. "It will all work out."_

" _NO!" Emma screamed as she latched onto Mrs. Swan's leg. "I want to stay here! I'm your daughter! We're a family!"_

" _Emma, get off me. Get off me!" Mrs. Swan yelled as she pried Emma off her._

" _I'm your daughter!" Emma yelled through tears._

" _No you're not!" Mrs. Swan yelled, her anger overcoming her guilt. "You're not my daughter. We only took you in because I couldn't get pregnant. But I have a real child now, and I don't need a bratty rent-a-kid. So go back to the orphanage and get the hell out of my life!"_

 _Emma looked at Mrs. Swan, seeing the woman not as a mother but as a mean stranger she never really knew. The social worker took her hand and led her out the door as little Emma cried for the loss of her family._

Emma gasped in shock as she opened her eyes. She looked around, seeing she was in bed in her dorm room. It had been just a dream. A terrible nightmare.

Though technically her dream had been an actual memory. A condensed version of one of the worse moments of her life. The details might have been exaggerated, but the basic memory was still intact; that of a terrified six year old who was sent back to the orphanage after her first potential family got pregnant.

Emma shuttered as the memory of her dream clung to her. She remembered feeling so safe and wanted in their household, and then that safety had been ripped away from her in an instant. She never felt that sense of belonging ever again. After that she spent most of her time in group homes. And the few times she did go to foster homes she didn't stay there for long. She tried telling herself it was just a dream and that she was finally at a place she felt belonged, but the memory still clung to her.

She was about to go back to sleep when she noticed Mary Margaret sitting on her bed putting on socks and shoes, being careful not to wake her two roommates. As Emma watched her roommate she recalled that Mary Margaret seemed to always leave their room promptly at seven. At first Emma thought the girl was going to the gym before class or had a study group that met really early. But she always appeared showered and dressed in something that clearly looked like it wasn't just casual wear thrown on. Like right now, Mary Margaret looked like she was dressed to go out on a date. This intrigued Emma, and she decided she was going to find out where her roommate was going off to.

She waited until Mary Margaret left the room before racing out of bed and thrusting her feet into sneakers. She cracked open the door, seeing her roommate get into the elevator. Emma raced to the stairwell and tore down the stairs, pausing at the bottom until Mary Margaret got off the elevator and went through the lobby door.

Emma covertly kept back as she tailed the girl, keeping her in sight while making sure she couldn't be seen. She followed her through the campus center and saw her enter the cafeteria. Emma watched through the door window as Mary Margaret sat at a table and buried herself in a book. But Emma could tell she wasn't really reading since she kept glancing over at the giant wall clock.

Just as the clock struck 7:15am (and Mary Margaret seemed to get extra antsy) the door on the other side of the café opened and an objectively good looking guy walked inside. He got himself a takeaway cup of coffee as Mary Margaret kept her eyes firmly glued to her book. After the guy paid for his coffee he went over to Mary Margaret, who put her book down as if she just 'happened' to notice the guy was there. They talked for a couple minutes in a way that clearly showed they've met before today, before he left. Mary Margaret watched him go, looking both embarrassed and giddy by what just transpired.

 _Mary Margaret has a thing for that fella_ , Emma thought with a grin.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma sighed deeply as she sat at the gym help desk. While she was grateful to have the job, it generally was very boring. All she did was have people sign in and out of the log book and give them keys to the lockers. Otherwise she just sat there and watched whatever was on the television until her shift was over.

As she looked at the people working out she saw a girl with long brown hair in a ponytail on one of the ellipticals, looking straight ahead as a guy on the one next to her leaned in to talk to her. From her body language it was clear the girl was desperately trying to ignore the guy. Seeing that he wasn't getting the hint Emma went over to them. "Hey, why don't you leave her alone."

"It's a free country; I can talk to whoever I want," he rudely replied.

"I don't want to talk to you, I just want to work out," the girl said.

"See, she doesn't want to talk," Emma said. "So why don't you move to another machine and keep your comments to yourself before I remove you from here."

"Really girl. You're going to kick me out?" the guy said as he stepped off the machine and got in Emma's face.

"Try me," Emma challenged as she stared him down.

Just then Emma saw the other girl get off her own machine and stand next to Emma. The two of them stared the guy down before he shook his head and walked away. "Fine. Damn chicks can't take a compliment."

Emma was severely tempted to grab him by the arm and throw him out, but she didn't want to make a ruckus. Instead she let the guy go to the treadmills and decided she'd say something to her boss about it later.

"Thanks for the help," the girl said.

"No problem. I hate macho assholes like that."

"Tell me about it. I came here to work out, not get hit on," the girl said as she glanced at the machines. "I should get back there."

"K. What's your name?" Emma asked.

"Lily."

"I'm Emma by the way."

"Nice to meet you."

Emma went back to the help desk, watching Lily as she get back on her machine. _She's cute_ , she thought to herself. She spent the next hour watching some boring show on MTV and collecting locker keys when people left, feeling like time was standing still. Periodically she'd glance up and watch Lily, seeing her go to various machines and then head to the woman's shower area. Not in a creepy starker way. Just in a curious observant way.

"Hey."

Emma looked over and saw Lily standing in front of the desk, combing her wet hair out with her fingers. "Hey yourself."

"Want to get out of here?"

"Now?" Emma asked.

"Yeah. Now."

Emma looked at the clock, seeing it was only 8pm. "I have to stay here till 9 and lock up."

"You can always come back later to lock up. Or you can just lock up now. It's pretty much empty here."

Emma looked around, seeing besides them there was just one guy on an exercise bike. She knew she should stay until the end of her shift, but there was something enticing about ducking out early to spend time with this girl. "Sorry, we're closing early tonight!" she called out as she made her decision. Emma waited for the guy to leave before locking up, not even bothering to go through her usual clean up and machine inspection routine. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Don't know. There aren't any parties tonight," Lily said with a shrug.

"Want to go to the cafeteria and talk?" Emma suggested.

"Sure, I guess."

The two of them went down to the café and got beverages (black coffee for Lily, hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon for Emma) before sitting at a table. Lily glanced around before taking a flask out of her bag and pouring some vodka into her cup. "Want some?"

"Okay," Emma said a bit uncertainly as Lily put some in her cup. She took a sip, trying not to wince at the sharpness the alcohol gave her drink. "So, what made you come to Storybrook?" she asked, inwardly cringing at how lame that sounded.

"I don't know, they accepted me," Lily said with a shrug. "Plus the tuition was really cheap compared to other schools. What about you? Why'd you come here?"

"They offered me a full scholarship. That was the main reason. Honestly, I never would have been able to go away to school if not for that."

"I get that," Lily said. "I wanted to go to Keene State originally, but I wouldn't have been able to afford it. It's not that bad here."

"I like it here," Emma said as she took a sip from her drink. "Do you live in Mifflin or Arendelle?"

"Arendell," Lily answered. "I lucked out and got a single there."

"Arendell has singles?" Emma asked.

"Yeah."

"That's lucky. I'm in Mifflin with two roommates. One of them is great to live with, but the other is a real uptight bitch. She's lucky she's hot, or else she'd have nothing going for her. Though it'd probably for the best she's a terrible person. Otherwise I'd have trouble keeping my hands off her."

Lily nodded her head before pausing at the last thing Emma said. "So…you're into girls?"

"Yeah, why?" Emma asked, unsure from Lily's tone as to exactly why she was asking.

"Just good to know," she said before skimming some whipped cream from Emma's drink and licking it off her finger. Emma gulped; feeling like the temperature had just risen in the room.

"What's that, a tattoo?" she asked as she noticed a star like mark on Lily's wrist.

"Oh that," Lily replied as she looked at her birth mark. "I've had it for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid I used to pretend it was a symbol, like in Harry Potter or something. That it meant I was special. I know it must sound stupid now."

"No it's not," Emma said, feeling something similar at hearing that. "When I was a kid I used to think I was special. I used to pretend I was actually a princess and I just had to wait before I was found and taken away to a better life. But…that never happened." She wasn't sure why she shared that, since she didn't generally open up to people, let alone someone she just met. But something about Lily's comment just made her feel like she could trust the girl.

Lily reached into her purse and pulled out a permanent black magic marker. Before Emma could ask what she was doing Lily grabbed her hand and drew a star on her wrist. "There, now you are special too." She looked into her eyes as Emma looked at her wrist and then back at Lily. "That was really lame, wasn't it?"

"No, it's very sweet," Emma replied. She giggled before taking another sip from her drink, feeling like a connection was forming.

"Listen, are you doing anything tomorrow night?" Lily asked.

"No, why?"

"You know Boardman, that row of houses just off campus? The one at the end of the block, 12, always has a party every Friday night and I'm going. I was wondering if you wanted to meet me there."

"Sure. What time are you going?" Emma immediately replied, before worrying that she was coming off as too eager.

"They open the door at 9, so I'll be there around 9:30. It's $5 to get in, but then its unlimited drinks all night."

"Okay, sounds fun," Emma said as she smiled at Lily. _No wait, don't smile_ , she thought to herself. _You'll come off as too eager. She might not even be into women. You don't exactly have the best gaydar. But she liked that you were and then invited you to a party. And that whipped cream thing, she totally has to play for my team. Then she drew a star on my wrist, that has to mean she likes me._

"So, what are you into? Do you have any hobbies?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh my god, Emma has a date!" Ruby yelled before being shushed by Regina. "Sorry! Not sorry," she whispered to Emma and Mary Margaret.

"It's not a date," Emma explained. "We're just going to the same party. It's just a casual thing."

"She asked you out to a party. It's a date," Ruby said as she went over to Emma's dresser and started rummaging through the drawers.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked.

"Finding an outfit for you to wear. Do you own anything else besides skinny jeans and tank tops?"

"She has a brown dress in her closet," Mary Margaret said with a smirk, causing Emma to glare at her.

"On it," Ruby replied as she searched through the closet. "Found it. No, that won't due. That's something you wear when you're going on a job interview. Not when you're trying to get into someone's pants."

"Ruby!" Emma and Mary Margaret both cried out.

"What?"

"I'm not trying to get into her…I don't even know if she's into women. She could have just invited me there as a friend."

"Well, how did she ask you?" Mary Margaret asked. "Was it in a friendly way, or a flirty way?"

"Friendly…flirty…I don't know, it was hard to tell. Kind of both," Emma confessed.

The three of them looked over as Regina loudly slammed her textbook shut and pushed her chair back. "I'm going to the library to study, since I can't concentrate while you three are gossiping like a group of hens." With that she marched out of the room and slammed the door shut.

"I can't wait until next year, when I don't have to live with her," Emma stated, with Mary Margaret nodding in agreement.

"Don't worry, it'll be us three together next year," Ruby replied. "I know it's months until registration, but we should start thinking soon about other girls we'd want to live with if we want to get a townhouse together. Alright, I'm going to my room to find the perfect outfit for you to wear tomorrow. I'll also find something for you M M."

"I told you not to call me that," Mary Margaret replied, hating the nickname Ruby had bestowed upon her. "And what's wrong with what I wear?"

"No offence, but you dress like an elementary school teacher. And that's not a good look when you're going to a party. Don't worry, I'll find you both something," Ruby called out as she went off to her room.

"I hate to say it, but she's kind of right," Emma pointed out.

"There's nothing wrong with how I dress," Mary Margaret insisted. "A lot of people think so. What?"

"Nothing," Emma said with a smirk, thinking that there was at least one person who seemed to like how her roommate dressed.

"What's on your wrist?" Mary Margaret asked, pointing to Emma's arm.

"Oh that…When I was with Lily I noticed she had a birthmark on her wrist in the shape of a star. So she drew one on me. It's no big deal," Emma said, hoping she sounded casual about it.

"She asked you out to a party, and drew a star on you. She has to be into you."

"No. You think?" Emma asked.

"I'm sure of it," Mary Margaret replied with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Why the hell did I let Ruby dress me_ , Emma thought as the three of them walked to the Boardman block. She was currently in a little blue dress that was shorter and tighter than any dress she'd willingly wear, along with four inch stilettos that took all of her concentration just to walk in. "How the hell do you walk in these things?"

"Heel toe, heel toe. Again, how have you never worn high heels before?" Ruby asked, who was wearing a red dress the same style as Emma's.

"I like boots, so sue me."

"I think you look great," Mary Margaret said as she played with the sleeve of her sweater. (Ruby had leant her a short black skirt and low cut blouse, but she insisted on wearing one of her sweaters over it.) "I'm the one who looks silly."

"Can we stop with the negativity," Ruby exclaimed. "We all look great. Any guy, or girl, who sees us won't be able to keep their hands off us."

At hearing that Mary Margaret smiled as she thought of one person she'd like to have their hands all over her, before shaking the thought out of her head.

They finally made it to Boardman 12 (with Emma relieved she hadn't stumbled to the ground.) They walked up the steps, where a guy at the door greeted them. "Evening ladies. That'll be $5 each to get in." He waited until they gave him their money before drawing a red X on the back of their hands. "There's unlimited beer and punch in the kitchen. Have a good time."

"Thanks," they said before going inside and making their way to the kitchen. "What do you think's in the punch?" Mary Margaret asked as she and Emma each took a can of beer.

"It's probably vodka and Kool-Aid," Ruby guessed as she dipped a plastic cup into the giant plastic tub and took a sip. "Yeah, that's defiantly what it is. Here's to a fun night."

"A fun night!" They all cried out as they raised their beverages in a toast.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Where is she_ , Emma thought as she and Mary Margaret stood by the wall near the front door. She sat down on the arm of a nearby couch before jumping up as the couple making out on it bumped into her. She looked at her phone, groaning when she saw it was a few minutes after 10pm. "It's already 10 and she isn't here yet."

"Maybe she's already here," Mary Margaret suggested. "It's a big house. She could have come in and gone upstairs or something."

"I've been standing by the door since 9:30, I would have seen her come in," Emma reasoned. She sighed and looked out at the living room/dance floor, seeing Rudy dancing with some guy. "Least one of us is having fun." She looked at her phone again, contemplating if she should send Lily another message. She had already texted her twice, and was afraid she's come off as needy if she sent her another. She put her phone away before looking back at Mary Margaret, feeling bad that she was spending the party by her side. "You don't have to keep me company while I wait."

"It's fine," Mary Margaret replied. Truthfully, she didn't mind standing by Emma's side, since the party was a little too loud and boisterous for her taste. She'd rather a smaller gathering with several friends then pushing her way through a hundred strangers. She finished her beer before setting the empty can on the floor. "Bathroom's upstairs?"

"Yeah. Down the hall past the bedrooms," Emma said, having visited it before staking her claim near the door. She watched as Mary Margaret made her way through the crowd and went up the stairs. _When she gets back I'll give it ten more minutes and then I'm leaving. Okay, fifteen minutes_ , she reasoned.

"Hey you."

Emma looked over, smiling in delight at seeing Lily approach her. "Lily, hi!"

"You didn't think I was going to come, didn't you?" she said knowingly.

"No, I knew you'd make it," Emma replied, trying to sound cool.

"I was running late and my phone died, so I couldn't text you to tell you," she explained as she unabashedly looked Emma up and down. "You look great in that dress."

"Thanks," Emma said, trying not to blush. She took in Lily's outfit (leather pants and a leather halter top.) "I like your top. The design looks like scales."

"Maybe I was a dragon in my past life," she purred. "Let's get a drink and then hit the dance floor."

"Okay," Emma said, glancing around for Mary Margaret before Lily led her to the kitchen. She got a beer as Lily downed a cup of punch, then looked on as the girl got another full cup and downed that too. "Easy there."

"Just making up for lost time," she said as she drank yet another cup of punch. As soon as she was done she pulled Emma by the hand. "Come on, let's dance."

They went out to the living room, where everyone was dancing to a salsa like beat that was blasting from the speakers. Emma tried to follow Lily's graceful movements, but it came off more spastic and jerky. Lily giggled and put her hands around Emma's waist, leading her as they moved their hips in sync to the music. _Damn, she can move_ , Emma thought. _She's practically pressed against me. That has to mean she likes me, right?_

Just then the song stopped and "Jump" by Kris Kross came on. They followed everyone on the floor, jumping in the air and yelling every time the word 'Jump' was sang. On the last jump Emma tripped on her damn heels and almost face planted on the floor before she caught herself. Luckily Lily shrugged it off and took her by the hand as the song "Bang Bang" came on. They danced for well over half an hour, moving through several songs from "Uptown Funk" to "Worth It."

Emma finally wiggled off the dance floor just as Britney Spears came on. "Come on, I love this song", Lily exclaimed.

"I can't, my feet are killing me," Emma complained. "You try shaking it in heels."

"Wimp," Lily playfully said as she bopped Emma on her nose. Emma swatted her finger away, giggling from the gesture. She looked at Lily, taking in just how adorably hot the girl was. Especially with her disheveled hair and being slightly sweaty.

Just then Lily leaned in and kissed Emma. Emma's eyes widened in surprise before she kissed her back. She closed her eyes as Lily's hand snaked behind her neck, anchoring her as they made out.

"Alright!" The two of them quickly pulled away as a drunk guy in a SBU sweatshirt grinned at them. "Hang on, let me get a picture," he said as he searched for his phone.

"Get the hell away from us!" Emma yelled as she threw an empty beer can at the guy. "Asshole," she sighed as he scurried away.

"How about we get out of here," Lily suggested.

"Fine by me. Let me just tell my friends I'm leaving. Be back in a minute."

Emma worked her way back to the dance floor, but wasn't able to locate either Mary Margaret or Ruby. She made her way out and searched through the house, making her way to the kitchen. She went past two guys holding a girl up for a keg stand when she spotted Mary Margaret outside on the back porch. "Mary Margaret!" she yelled as she went outside.

"Hey. Did Lily ever show up?"

"Yeah, she's here. Have you seen Ruby around?" Emma asked

"I spotted her not to long ago. She was going into a bedroom with that guy she was dancing with before," she replied.

"Good for her," Emma said with a smirk. "Listen, I'm taking off. Lily and me are…I don't know exactly what we're doing. But are you going to be okay here by yourself?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll see you later."

"K. See yeah."

Emma went back inside and made her way back to Lily. "K, let's go."

They both went outside, Emma shivering slightly. "Wish I had brought a jacket. So where do you want to go?"

"We could go back to my room," Lily suggested. "I have a bottle of alcohol so we can keep the party going."

"Your place?" Emma said, trying not to sound nervous at the suggestion. "Sure, that will work."

"Great. Let's go."

 _What the hell is going on_ , Emma thought as she and Lily walked to Arendelle Tower. _We're going back to her room for a drink. Does she just want us to hang out? Or are we going to her place to make out? Or does she want to have sex? Oh god, what if she wants to have sex. We just met and I don't know if I'm ready .What if this messes things up between us. When was the last time you even shaved your legs? Tuesday? Wednesday? Crap, if you can't remember then it was probably before then. Least I did laundry Wednesday night, so I know I'm wearing clean underwear. That would be embarrassing._

Before she knew it they made it to Arendelle Tower and Lily was opening the door to her room. "Here we are," she exclaimed with a wave of her arm before making a beeline for her phone, which was charging on her dresser. "Ugg, Karen again. I'll call you back later," she said out loud as she texted the same response.

While Emma heard Lily she didn't ask who she was referring to, as her attention was on the decor of the room. It was much smaller than the ones in Mifflin made for three or even two people, but Emma could see the appeal of having your own place to yourself. Most of the limited wall space was decorated with records, along with a couple posters of dragons flying over castles. "Do you watch Game of Thrones?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, I love that show," Lily said as she rummaged through the bottom drawer of her dresser.

"I'm going to take a guess and say you're a fan of Khaleesi."

"Yeah, she's my favorite character. If dragons were real I'd totally ride one. I also love Tyrion. I'm glad he's now advising her, even though they haven't even met in the books. Found it!" she yelled as she pulled out a bottle of Hynotiq.

"What is it?" Emma asked as she eyes the blue alcohol warily.

"It's basically fruit flavored vodka and cognac," Lily explained as she pulled out two shot glasses and filled both. "You'll like it."

Emma took her glass and downed the shot, licking her lips clean. "Not bad."

"Told you," Lily exclaimed as she downed her shot before pouring them each another. She chuckled as Emma held her glass. "It's not going to bite."

"I'm good for now."

"Suit yourself," Lily stated as she downed hers before she sat on top of the duvet and pushed a pile of papers on the edge of her bed onto the floor. "Come here," she purred, patting the spot right next to her.

Gingerly Emma sat next to Lily, feeling both turned on and unsure as to how to proceed. To buy some time she glanced at the pile of stuff now on the floor, seeing most of it was old copies of The Daily Mirror. Her eyes narrowed as she recognized one of them to be the infamous issue that revealed her past.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked. Her eyes followed Emma's, seeing the issue on the floor. "Oh, right, that thing. Don't sweat it. People forget stuff like that pretty quickly. They've probably moved on to something else already."

"It still sucks that my past is now out there for everyone to know," Emma replied as she knocked back her shot of the alcohol. "Getting arrested and going to juvie. Not to mention everyone knowing I'm an orphan." She scoffed, sure the alcohol was making her open up to this girl she just met the other day. "I just hate that everyone now knows about me."

"It's not the end of the world," Lily said as she swirled the remaining liquor in the bottle. "It sucks, but you're not a little kid anymore. You can move on with your life."

"It's still hard. Even now I can't help feeling alone. Being around others and just feeling like I'm..."

"Invisible," Lily replied, finishing Emma's thought. "I know what that's like. To live someplace where it feels like no one cares about you, let alone understands you."

Emma looked at Lily, feeling the girl wasn't just talking figuratively. "Did you grow up in a group home to?"

Lily looked at Emma before nodding her head. "Yeah.

"And, you were never adopted? Never had anyone take you in and make you their own?"

"No. I used to watch others get adopted and wait for my turn. But it…" she softly trailed off as her eyes reflected pain for a brief moment.

"I can't believe it," Emma said. "Of all the people here I meet someone who grew up without a family too."

"Yeah…let's not talk about it right now." Lily said as she poured them each another shot. She started to take it when she smiled at Emma. "Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful?"

"Not really."

"Well it's true," Lily stated.

"Thanks. You're not bad to look at either."

Lily put her still full shot glass down and pulled Emma into her, their lips connecting in a passionate kiss. Their kisses increased in intensity as they tipped down atop the bed, Lily on top of Emma. Lily straddled Emma as the blonde ran her hands down her back, feeling heated bare skin and leather. They continued to make out and feel each other bodies through their clothes before Lily reached under Emma and began to unzip her dress. "Lily, wait," Emma groaned.

"What?" Lily asked breathlessly, sucking on Emma's neck.

"I haven't…I've never…" she groaned as Lily hit a pulse point before any doubts over what was going to happen went right out the window.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The door to Lily's room opened as Emma quietly slipped out. She made her way to the lobby, her heels in one hand while she tried to comb out her tangled locks with the other. Once outside she walked back to Mifflin Hall, watching her step so her bare feet didn't step on anything. As she walked in the early morning light she saw another girl in an outfit she clearly had worn the night before. The girl had her head down, trying to avoid looking at others as she did her 'walk of shame'. _Why the hell do we call it a 'walk of shame' anyway_ , Emma wondered as she made it to her dorm and went to her room. _It should be called 'I just got laid suck on that' walk._

"Morning," Mary Margaret said cheerily as she finished making her bed.

"Hey M M," Emma said happily as she fell atop her own unmade bed.

"Don't call me that," she replied. "Regina went home for the weekend, so we have the room to ourselves for another two days."

"That's good," Emma replied.

"So, anything you want to share?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"Well, you left the party last night with Lily, and you're just coming in now. I take it something happened between you two."

"We went back to her place, had a drink…and then had sex," Emma announced, unable to keep it in any longer.

Mary Margaret let out a squeal before sitting next to Emma. "Oh my god, tell me everything. No wait, I don't want to pry. Just tell me what you want to share. But tell me something. Was it good?"

"It was really good," Emma replied with a huge grin on her face. "She's a really good kisser. And she does this thing with her hands where she…." She shuttered joyously as she relived the memory in her head. "God, I never thought it'd be like that. If I did I wouldn't have waiting so long to finally do it."

Mary Margaret frowned as she took in the last thing Emma said. "Wait…when you say you finally…was last night your first time having sex with another girl, or at all?"

"Both," Emma replied with an impish grin. "With Neil we made out and there was some under the shirt action a couple of times. But we never went further than that."

"So last night was the first time you…oh wow," Mary Margaret said in awe. "Oh wow. So what'd going to happen now? Is she your girlfriend?"

"I think so. She wasn't there when I woke up this morning, so I couldn't talk to her about it. But I'm definitely seeing her again. She left a note saying she had an early appointment to get to, so I wrote that I'd call her later and we could do something."

"That's great, I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks. And what about you?" Emma asked.

"Last night? I ended up leaving not long after you did and just came back here."

"I meant any romance in your life you'd like to report?" Emma asked, figuring this would be a good time to probe her roommate over her mystery guy.

"What do you mean?" Mary Margaret asked, trying to keep her cool.

"I know you've been seeing a guy. I may have followed you one morning and saw the two of you in the cafeteria," Emma confessed.

Mary Margaret groaned at hearing that, knowing the time had come for her to come clean. "Okay, fine, there is someone. His name's David."

"Why does that sound familiar?"

"He's the guy I met during the scavenger hunt."

"Wait, you mean DAVID David? The guy who trapped you in the stairwell and you hit in the face to escape? THAT's the guy you like?" Emma asked.

"He's actually a nice guy, in an annoying kind of way."

"If you say so," Emma replied doubtfully, since the stairwell story was all she had to go on about the guy. "So what's going on with you two? Are we ever going to meet him?"

"Actually…we're not actually going out," Mary Margaret confessed. "He has a girlfriend…and since he gets coffee every morning…I make a point to be there so we can keep running into each other." She cringed at actually saying it out loud, knowing how pathetic it sounded.

"Oh," Emma replied softly. "Do we know her?"

"She doesn't go here. She's his girlfriend from high school."

Emma nodded her head as she contemplated that info. "I'm not one to usually encourage breaking up a relationship, but you should see how serious he is about this girlfriend. Long distance relationships usually don't work, especially when going from high school to college." True, Emma had no real life basis on this. But she had heard that most people who went out in high school rarely stayed together once they started college.

"I think it is serious," Mary Margaret sadly replied. "I think he's going to ask her to marry him."

"He told you that?" Emma asked.

"No. But you know that watch I took from him? When I gave it back he said when his dad proposed to his mom he didn't have a ring and gave that watch to her instead. So why else would he have it if he's not going to propose to his girlfriend?"

"I don't know. Having a watch doesn't necessarily mean he wants to marry her. Look, do you like him?"

"Yeah," Mary Margaret replied with a smile. "I mean, he can be arrogant and annoying. But there's just something about him. I can't help it."

"Then you need to try and see what happens. Tell him how you feel and see how serious he is with this girl. Because from the little I saw, I'm guessing he likes you to." With that she gently pushed Mary Margaret off her bed so she could get take a nap before she saw Lily later.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lily didn't call or text Emma back that night. At first Emma wasn't too concerned. She simply sent her girlfriend a text, asking her to text her back when she was able to.

But when Emma didn't hear from Lily the next day, she started getting worried. She called both her cell phone and the phone in her room, but Lily didn't answer either of them. _She's probably just busy_ , Emma told herself, trying to mask her growing concern.

By the third day Emma was genuinely worried something was wrong. She called and texted Lily several times, not caring if she came off as clingy. And each time all she got was Lily's voice mail.

"Lily, it's Emma, again. Did I do something wrong? Because I haven't heard back from you since Friday night and I'm really trying not to freak out over it. Please call me as soon as you get this."

By the time her last class for the day ended, Emma decided she couldn't wait any longer. She had to know what the hell was going on between them. With that she headed off to Arendelle tower to get some answers.

Once outside Lily's room Emma loudly knocked, able to tell someone was inside. After a moment the door opened a few inches and Lily stuck her head out. "Emma?"

"Lily. What's going-"

"Now's not a good time, okay," she whispered.

"What's going on?" Emma repeated. "I haven't heard from you in days. After that night I thought we were…together or going out and-"

"Lily, who are you talking to?" A voice behind the door asked.

"I'll be there in a minute," Lily yelled.

"Who's that?" Emma asked, feeling confused and scared.

"No one, just get out of here," the girl hissed.

"Lily!"

"I'll be right there Mom!" Lily yelled. Before Emma could process that shocking piece of info Lily glared at her with barely contained anger. "I don't want to see you again, alright," she whispered. "I just wanted to try having sex with a girl, not start a relationship with one. So leave me alone and get the hell out of my life."

With that she slammed the door shut, leaving a crushed Emma standing there. As Emma tried contemplating what had just happened the words of her first foster mother echoed back at her. Tears formed in her eyes as Emma ran away, feeling everything from that terrible day come roaring out of her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell!" Regina yelled as the door burst open and Emma came charging in. "I'm trying to study here. Do you have any concept of-what's wrong?" she asked as she took one look at Emma's face.

Emma refused to answer her bitchy roommate. Instead she collapsed on top of her bed and sobbed into her pillow, not caring who saw her. Regina got up and slowly approached Emma, wanting to do something but unsure of what to do since they both hated one another. Wishing she knew where Mary Margaret was Regina instead picked up the phone and dialed Ruby's room. "Ruby, it's Regina. You need to get up here right now. Emm…shut up for a second and I'll tell you! Emma's here crying her eyes out…I didn't do anything! She came in here crying! Be a friend and help her!" she yelled before slamming the phone down.

"What's going on?" Mary Margaret asked as she walked in and took in the scene.

"Do something," Regina gestured as if Mary Margaret was a simpleton.

Mary Margaret went over to Emma, sitting next to her and gently touching her shoulder in comfort. "What happened?"

"Lily…" Emma chocked out between sobs. "She doesn't want to see me. She…she just wanted to have sex with me."

"What wrong?" Ruby asked as she came in.

"Lily dumped her," Mary Margaret explained.

"Oh Sweetie," Ruby replied as she went over to her friend. "I'm so sorry."

"No one wants me. Everyone just abandons me," Emma cried as it all came rushing to the surface. Years of pain and anguish came pouring out of her as she sobbed, inadvertently revealing feelings of abandonment she had never shared before with anyone. Her friends sat there with her, simply listening as Emma sobbed.

"Okay," Ruby said when it seemed like the worst of it was over. "M M, grab some sleepwear for the two of you. We're all spending the night in my room. We'll eat ice cream and watch some bad movies and you won't even remember that dragon hearted bitch's name."

Emma dully nodded as her friends pulled her off the bed, grateful she had the two of them in her life. As they left none of them noticed Regina looking at them, having overheard everything that had transpired. As she watched Emma go Regina had a look on her face she had never given the blonde before. Not one of hatred, but what might almost pass for genuine concern.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I just hate that she got to me like this," Emma confessed as she swirled her spoon in her melting ice cream. "I only knew her for a few days."

"That doesn't mean you didn't care about her," Mary Margaret reasoned. "And you did lose your virginity to her. That's a big deal."

"That's still no reason to let her walk all over you," Ruby countered. "You're better off without her."

"It's not that easy to get over someone," Mary Margaret said, glaring at Ruby.

"I'm not saying she shouldn't be upset. What happened sucks. But she can't let it get to her."

"I'm such an idiot," Emma said miserably as she ate her ice cream soup. "I should have seen this coming. Instead I fell for some bi-curious girl who tricked me into being her 'college experiment'. And she lied to me about having no parents. She completely manipulated me."

"We can't always see these things," Ruby's roommate Belle replied. "My ex-boyfriend Gaston seemed really charming at first. But after a few months I finally saw him for the arrogant ass he actually was. I hated that it took so long for me to see it. But eventually I was able to forgive myself for my mistake and move on."

Emma looked at down at her bowl, hating that she had become the moopy 'I got dumped I'm so sad about it' girl. She used to make fun of girls like that in high school. And now she had become one of them. _It's different though_ , she reasoned. _Lily betrayed me after I allowed her into my heart. After telling her how hard it is for me to open up and trust someone._ _She used me and then tossed me aside after she got what she wanted._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma spent the next few days in her room, watching TV and barely getting out of bed. Mary Margaret brought her food from the café so she wouldn't go hungry, to which Emma was grateful for. And even Regina seemed to be less bitchy to her while she nursed her broken heart.

"Come on, it'll be good for you," Ruby said to Emma. It was Friday night and her friend has come to announce that Boardman 12 was having another party and she should go. "I know you're still upset, but you've been holed up in here for days. It'll be good to get out for the night. Even Mary Margaret is going."

"I don't feel like going out," Emma simply said.

"Do you really want to spend Friday night in here with Miss Bitch?"

"I can hear you," Regina growled from her desk.

"I know!" Ruby yelled before looking back at Emma. "Come on, just come out with us. Just for a little while."

"Thanks, but I just want to stay in."

Ruby smiled sadly, able to see she wasn't going to convince Emma otherwise. "Okay. Tell M M to meet me in my room when she gets back from dinner, because I'm not letting her go out in one of her sweater combos."

"Will do. Have fun."

"Always do," Ruby replied as she sauntered out.

Emma watched TV for a while before her stomach gurgled in hunger. She pulled herself out of bed and decided to make her way to the café before they stopped serving dinner and she'd have to use her declining balance for late night food. She put on her sneakers and left the room, not caring that her hair was a tangled mess and she was wearing pajama pants and an old t-shirt.

Emma shivered slightly as she went outside, not used to the fresh air after being cooped up in the dorm building since Monday night. She walked down the path to the café when she stopped suddenly, seeing Lily herself in front of the campus center building.

She stood there shocked at unexpectedly seeing the girl, before her feelings morphed into rage. Before she could stop herself she marched right over to her. "Lily!"

"Emma?" Lily replied in surprise.

"Yeah, me," Emma angrily stated. Not waiting for a response she grabbed Lily by the arm and dragged her off to a secluded area. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Emma-"

"You lied to me to get me into bed, and then you just throw me away like I was nothing!"

"Emma, calm down-"

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" she screamed. She glanced around as people were staring at the two of them before lowering her voice to a rage filled whisper. "Do you have any idea what you did to me? How badly you hurt me? I trusted you and you betrayed me."

"Emma-"

"Was any of it true? I mean, I know you lied about being an orphan. But was all of it a complete lie? Did you ever like me at all?"

"Yeah…," Lily replied as she tried to voice her thoughts. "And I didn't lie. Not exactly. I never knew my birth parents and I did grow up in group homes and foster care. Then when I was ten I was fostered with Karen and she ended up adopting me. So I didn't lie to you. I'm an orphan too. I just, changed a few details."

"A few details. There is a huge fucking difference between getting adopted and spending your whole life in the system. You have a home and someone who loves you. I don't."

"I know that Emma," Lily tried to reason. "And I would have told you. But you were so happy when you found out I was an orphan too. It meant so much to you. So I just fudged how things ending up for me. And I still watched families pass me over. We both went through the same thing."

"You got adopted. I didn't. That's completely different. You lied to me, just like you lied to me that you liked me."

"I did like you," Lily said, fidgeting uncomfortably. "Here's the thing. I've always been curious about what it would be like to be with another girl. So when I found out you were a lesbian, I decided to pursue it. But afterwards I was scared and didn't know how to handle it. Then you came by unexpectedly and my mom was there and I didn't know how she'd react if she found out I'd slept with another girl, so I panicked."

"That doesn't change that you hurt me," Emma firmly stated. She was sympathetic over Lily's dilemma, but wasn't going to let her off the hook for her actions. "You led me on and dumped me right after we had sex."

"I'm sorry, okay. But come on, college is all about hook ups. I'm sure you've bedded a bevy of women before adding my notch to your bedpost."

"You were my first," Emma said, her eyes tearing up with emption.

"Wait, what?" Lily said in surprise. "You mean, I was the first girl you've slept with?"

"You were the first anyone I slept with," Emma stated, needing to made absolute sure Lily knew exactly what she was saying. "I'd never had sex with anyone, girl or guy, until I slept with you."

Lily looked at Emma, not expecting this turn of events. "So, I took your v card. Wow, didn't see that one coming," she said with a smirk. "Are you sure you were a virgin, because you seemed to really know what you were doing that night."

"Shut the fuck up!" Emma yelled, wiping the grin off Lily's face. "This is all just a joke to you, isn't it? Well this is my life. And I'm not going to let you ruin it for me anymore. I spend the last several nights crying and feeling sorry for myself over how badly you hurt me. But I'm not going to let you get to me anymore. Because you're not worth it. You're just a sad girl who uses people to get what they want and doesn't care what happens after you toss them aside. Well I'm done with you. I'm not going to let you get to me anymore."

With that Emma turned around and marched away, ignoring Lily's yells from behind her. As she walked towards the cafeteria she actually felt herself smile a small side smile. She still felt terrible over what happened. But after telling Lily off she felt better then she had all week. And for the first time she truly believed that everything was going to be okay.


	6. Chapter 6

Regina turned the page of her text book, reading over the material while taking detailed notes to study off of. She had a test next week and needed to get an A+. She had gotten an A- on her last test and had been severely disappointed in herself.

Just then her room phone rang. Sighing in annoyance she picked it up. "Hello?"

" _Regina? It's your mom._ "

"Hello mother. I can't talk long. I'm studying for a test."

" _On a Friday night?_ " Cora asked. " _I thought you would be out. I called to ask you to call me this weekend, but I meant to leave a message on your voicemail_."

"Well I'm here now. But as I said, I can't talk long."

The line was silent for a few moments before Cora asked, " _Have you gone out at all since you've started college?_ "

"What?"

" _Most weekends you've come home, though you've mostly just stayed in your room when you're here. And anytime I call all you talk about is studying_."

"So you're upset that I'm taking my education seriously?" Regina asked in disbelief.

" _Of course I want you to excel in school. But I also want you to go out every once in a while and not be cooped up in your room. Listen, I was going to talk to you about this over the weekend, but I'll say it now. I think it would be good for you to start going to therapy again._ "

"Mother, I'm fine," Regina insisted.

" _Are you? Because it seems to me you've been avoiding everyone since you started college, even more so than you did before. I know the last year has been really hard for you. First Daniel dying-_ "

"Don't say his name!" Regina yelled. "I've told you not to speak about him after what you did."

" _Regina, I know this has been hard. But I hoped by now you would no longer blame me for what happened. I mean, there's no way I blame you for your father-_ "

"Don't," Regina cried. "Don't mention that either. I'm trying to forget about all this horribleness."

" _Regina. I know this is difficult. You've had two huge losses in the past year. That's hard on anyone. But wallowing in despair isn't going to make things better. You were getting better those few months you were going to theory, and I think it will help you if you went again. I've looked into a few in the area-_ "

"Why, so you can feel better about killing the love of my life!" Regina yelled. "I don't need your help on anything! None of this would have happened if it wasn't for you!"

With that Regina slammed the phone down, pulling the cord out of the wall jack as she seethed in hurt rage. Ever since what had happened things had been bad between herself and her mother. But they had eventually reached an unspoken truce between them. As long as her mom didn't talk about Daniel or her father, then Regina was able to be around her. And now she was breaking their unspoken agreement by bringing it up over the phone.

 _How could she bring all this up now_ , Regina thought _. I'm trying to forget about what happened and she has to spring it on me like that. How can I not blame her for what happened to Daniel? If it wasn't for her he would still be here. She took him away from me. Just like I took my father away from us. I'm just a fucked up monster who deserves all this pain._

With that she turned down the framed family photo on her desk, not able to look at it a moment longer. As she crawled on top of her bed she heard the distant roll of thunder approaching. _Daniel_ , she sadly thought. She hugged a pillow against her chest as the sound brought her back to one of the worst days of her life.

 _Soft music filled her bedroom as Regina snuggled closer to her boyfriend, enjoying the feeling of their bare bodies pressed against one another. That was great, she thought happily. When they slept together two days ago, it had been wonderful. It was romantic and unrushed and everything she had hoped losing her virginity would be. But now that they had done it again she found she had enjoyed it even more then she did the first time. She grinned as she wondered if that meant it would be even better the third time, and the fourth time, and so on and so on._

" _What are you thinking about," Daniel asked as he played with his girlfriend's hair._

" _Just how much I love this song. And how much I love you," she added as she traced her fingers across his chest._

" _I love you too," he said before kissing her. "We should probably get dressed. Your parents will be home soon."_

" _It's not even three o'clock. It'll be a couple of hours before either of them come home. We've got time."_

" _Enough time to bring our number up to three," he said playfully._

" _If we're lucky," she said dreamily before suddenly frowning in sadness. "I don't want you to go away."_

" _I know," he said knowingly. "I don't want to leave you either. But it's only the beginning of July. We still have the whole summer before I start college."_

" _That's only two months. And then you'll be gone. I knew I shouldn't have fallen in love with a senior," she pouted._

" _Technically I'm now a high school graduate," he corrected her, earning a light swat on his shoulder. "Ow."_

" _That's for being a smart ass. That and for having to go so far away. Why did you decide to go to college in Arizona?"_

" _Because they have a good business program and gave me a partial scholarship. Listen, we both know it's going to suck being away from each other. But it'll only be for a year. I'll come back for holidays and whenever else I can. And then you'll graduate high school. Have you thought about what we talked about? You going to Arizona after you graduate."_

" _Yeah," she said tentatively, feeling both nervous and excited about taking such a big step. "I've actually gotten brochures and applications for ASU and other nearby schools. My mom is going to freak out when she hears I want to go to school in Arizona."_

" _I'm kind of glad I'll be away when you tell your parents that one," he replied truthfully._

" _You know my dad's a softy. He won't be happy that I want to go to school so far away, but he'll support me. It's my mom I'm worried about."_

" _Well, whatever happens I'll be here for you." He stroked her cheek, looking at her adoringly. "I can't believe you want to follow me all the way across the country."_

" _Why wouldn't I? I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you Daniel."_

" _I love you too Regina."_

 _The two of them kissed, Regina giggling as his hands ran up and down her body. They became so engrossed with each other that neither of them heard a car pull into the driveway and the front door open. They continued thinking they were still alone in the house when Regina's door suddenly opened. "Regina. There was a problem at work so I came home, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"_

" _MOTHER!" Regina cried out as they pulled the bed sheets over themselves._

" _MRS. MILLS!" Daniel yelled. "I can explain!"_

" _GET OUT! GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE RIGHT NOW!" Cora screamed before slamming the door shut._

" _Shit," Regina cried as she shut off her stereo, which had inadvertently been masking the sound of approaching thunder. "Oh shit," she repeated as they scrambled to get dressed. "We are so dead."_

" _I'm the one she's going to kill. She doesn't even like me on a good day," Daniel stated as he hopped around pulling on his clothes, not even noticing his shirt was inside out._

" _WHY IS HE STILL HERE?!" Cora screamed from outside the hall. "I TOLD HIM TO GET OUT!"_

" _I've got to go," he said as he grabbed his shoes and ran out of her room._

" _Daniel, wait!" Regina cried as she tore after him while struggling to button her skirt. She flew down the stairs, running right past her mother. She stopped at the open front door, seeing Daniel pull out of the driveway and speed down the street. "You didn't have to throw him out like that," she said as she turned to her mother._

" _You're actually lecturing me? After what I just walked in on," Cora said in disbelief._

" _It's not that big of a deal," Regina said in her defense._

" _Don't you dare tell me it's not a big deal. I just caught you in bed with a guy."_

" _Daniel," Regina reiterated. "He's not just some guy. He's been my boyfriend for months. He's had dinner over here. I was his prom date."_

" _Don't get smart with me. How long has this been going on?" Cora asked her daughter._

" _Not long," Regina answered in a small voice. "It's only the second time-"_

" _Oh, it's only the second time. Then it's alright," Cora replied sarcastically. "What the hell were you thinking?"_

" _It just happened, alright," Regina tried to explain._

" _You stupid girl. I thought you would have come to your senses by now regarding that boy. But instead you're going deeper in throwing your life away. And for what? A stable boy who will leave you come September?"_

" _His parents own stables!" Regina yelled, hating how her mom constantly put down Daniel. "He'll probably take over the business someday. That's something you'd realize if you didn't constantly look down on him."_

" _I'm looking out for your best interest. And a fling with some guy in high school isn't going to be what defines you!"_

" _I love him!" Regina yelled. "I love him Mom, and I went to spend the rest of my life with him!"_

" _God, you're acting like a starry eyed cliché. You're willing to throw your life away for a high school romance. You're seventeen years old. You don't even know what real love is at your age. You think your father is the first person I ever went out with? If I hadn't been smart at your age I would have ran off with the first guy to pay me any attention and my life would have been wasted."_

" _I know what love is," Regina insisted. "I know what we have is real."_

" _Why, because he managed to get you into bed? Did you even use protection?" she sternly asked her daughter." You could have gotten a STD. You could have gotten pregnant!"_

" _We were careful. He used a condom both times," Regina spit out, hating she had to actually talk about this with her mother._

" _When your father hears about this," Cora said to herself. "Why couldn't you have had more sense and waited. You're only seventeen!"_

" _Zelena was sixteen when she lost her virginity," Regina blurted out, enjoying the look of surprise on her mother's face. "That's right. I waited a whole year longer than perfect Zelena did."_

 _With that she stormed upstairs and slammed her door shut, the sound echoing throughout the house. She felt guilty about throwing her sister under the bus like that. But she was so mad at the whole situation that it just slipped out. And Zelena was away at school taking summer classes. She would be fine. Regina on the other hand._

 _What am I going to do, she thought. This is going to make it so much harder to tell her I want to go to college in Arizona. What if she doesn't let me go? It's going to be hell being away from Daniel for just a year. I can't have us be away from each other even longer._

 _Regina sat on her bed, wallowing in sadness. As she sat there she heard it start to rain outside. It quickly increased in intensity, becoming a thick heavy mess out there._

 _XXXXXXXXXXXX_

 _Regina sighed sleepily the next morning as she heard the phone ring. She rolled onto her side and buried her head in her pillow, hoping she could fall back to sleep. Her hopes were dashed as she heard her bedroom door open. "Regina, it's for you," Cora said softly. "It's Daniel's father."_

 _Regina got out of bed and took the phone, not noticing the serious look on her mother's face. "Hello?"_

" _Regina," Daniel's father said._

 _As soon as she heard the sound of his voice Regina stiffened in fear, sensing she was about to hear horrible news. "What's wrong?"_

" _Daniel…Daniel's dead," he said, his voice choking with emotion._

 _Regina dropped the phone, shocked to her core at what she had just heard. Almost unaware of what she was doing she felt herself bend down and pick the phone back up. "What?" she said in a small voice._

" _He…he was driving home in that bad rain storm yesterday. He…they're saying he lost control and ran into a guardrail."_

 _He continued talking, but Regina couldn't process what he was saying. The only thing she could focus on was the fact that Daniel was dead. The love of her life was gone._

 _Regina barely registered her mother taking the phone from her and talking to Daniel's father before hanging up. "He said the wake is tomorrow. And if you want you're welcome to say something." Cora looked at her daughter, unable to imagine what she had to be feeling. "Regina…"_

 _Regina fell to the floor, crying out in anguish over the emotional torment that was crashing through her._

Tears ran down Regina's face as she cried, reliving it all over again. Most of what had happened following his death was now a blur to her. She knew she had gone to the wake. She knew she had gotten up after Daniel's parents had spoken and gave a speech about him, sobbing through most of it. She knew she had knelt by his body and prayed that this was all a mistake and he would come back to her. She knew she went to the funeral and cried during the service. She knew she had quarantined herself in her bedroom for weeks afterwards, crying while listening to their favorite songs. She knew Zelena had come home from school and spent a week at home trying to talk to her. But she now only had a vague recollection of all of those things. It was like trying to remember a dream. She had a general idea of what happened, but the real details and feelings she felt during that time were no longer there.

The only real clear memory she had from that time was from the drive home after the funeral. Her mother had said something to try and comfort her and Regina suddenly started screaming at her. She yelled that it was her mother's fault that Daniel died. That if her mother hasn't thrown him out of the house he wouldn't have been driving during that rain storm and he wouldn't have crashed his car. Her father had tried to calm her down, but Regina just kept screaming that her mother had killed Daniel.

Though fate was especially cruel to her, for a month later she would be responsible for the death of-

"No!" Regina cried out, no longer wanting to get lost in memories. She didn't want to be reminded of how horrible she was. She didn't want to feel the grief and guilt that had haunted her for over a year now. She wanted an escape from it all. Impulsively she ran to her closet and searched through it, pulling out a nice dress and her rain coat. She knew from overhearing Ruby that Boardman 12 was having a party tonight. Maybe going to a college party would help her forget about all the pain she had inside of her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

David watched as Jefferson tossed the ping pong ball, watching it sail into the plastic cup of beer. He and Frank were up next in beer pong and were playing whoever won this game. He hoped the other team won, since Jefferson was a pretty good player.

As he waited for the game's outcome he pulled his phone out and looked at the text he'd gotten earlier from his girlfriend. Kathryn was supposed to have come up to see him over the weekend. But she'd texted him this afternoon saying something came up and she wouldn't be able to make it. While he should have been disappointed, he was actually relieved she wasn't coming to see him.

He sighed in frustration, thinking over his situation. When he and Kathryn had first started dating things had been fine. It was a typical high school romance. But as time went on he felt like they seemed to have less and less in common. It wasn't anything either of them did specifically. He just felt like they were changing and drifting apart. He hoped things would just end naturally. But instead they just kept going out, throughout the end of high school and graduation. He'd hoped once the summer ended and they went away to college things would run their course. But now it was over a month since they'd gone away to school and they were still together. And the longer it went on the more he felt trapped in their relationship.

And then things became even more complicated once Mary Margaret came into his life.

Ever since the night she had stolen his watch he found he couldn't stop thinking about her. It didn't help that they kept running into one another, particularly when he'd go to get his morning coffee. He knew she wasn't just reading in the café every morning, and was going there every morning just so she could see him. But he wasn't about to call her out on it. If he did she'd probably stop coming, and he wanted to keep seeing her.

He knew what he should do; break up with Kathryn and properly date Mary Margaret. But he had been dating Kathryn for the past two years. And even if he didn't love her anymore he didn't want to hurt her. He knew it was the cowardly way out, but he kept hoping things between them would just end naturally. But it seemed neither of them was willing to take that step and formally end things. So it was looking like he would have to bite the bullet and end things with her himself. He just had to work out when and how he was going to do it.

Just then David looked across the room, and saw Mary Margaret in the distance. Before he could stop himself he started making his way over to her when he accidently knocked into another woman. "Sorry."

"Watch it you oaf," the girl huffed as she made her way to the kitchen.

"I said I was sorry!" he called out before making his way to Mary Margaret. "Hi."

"David, hi," she replied a bit nervously.

"How's it going?"

"Okay."

"You here by yourself?" he asked, hoping she didn't guess he was curious if she came with a date.

"I came with my friend Ruby, who's probably working on finding some guy to hook up with," she said disapprovingly.

David nodded his head uncomfortably, not sure how to respond to that, when he heard Jefferson yell out, "David, you and Frank are up! You still playing?"

"Yeah, one sec!" He replied before asking Mary Margaret, "Do you want to play a round of Beer Pong?"

"Okay," she replied, following David to the table. "Hi, I'm Mary Margaret," she said to everyone.

"Is it alright if she plays with me instead?" David asked Frank.

"That's fine," Frank replied, grinning obnoxiously as he stepped aside to watch.

"Okay, let me tell you how it works," David told her as they stood on one side of the table.

"You're telling me how to play?" Mary Margaret asked

"Yeah."

"Because…you think I've never played before?" she stated.

"Have you?" he asked.

As way of an answer, Mary Margaret took the ball and tossed it across the table, where it bounced into a cup. David looked on in surprise as Jefferson drank the beer. "Nice shot."

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

They continued to play, where to David's amazement Mary Margaret made three out of four shots. "How did you get so good?"

"This isn't my first time playing beer pong," she said simply.

"Obviously," Jefferson said in annoyance as he took another drink.

Jefferson and his teammate made a few shots, but David and Mary Margaret were clearly dominating the game. It finally came down to Jefferson's team having only one cup on the table. Mary Margaret concentrated before flicking her wrist. The ball sailed smoothly in the air and landed in the cup with a plunk.

"Shit!" Jefferson's teammate yelled as he downed the cup.

"We did it! We won!" David cried out, pulling Mary Margaret into a one armed hug.

"Nice move, bringing in a ringer," Jefferson said bitterly. "Next time leave your girlfriend on the sidelines."

"She's not my girlfriend," David explained. He looked at Mary Margaret, seeing her frowning in sadness. "What's-"

Before he could finish she pulled herself apart from him and walked away. "Hey," he said as he went after her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm a fool, that's what's wrong," she said, trying desperately not to cry. "I'm a fool for flirting with you for weeks now. For liking you despite how annoying you are. "

"And that's a bad thing?" he asked with a smile.

"It is when you have a girlfriend," she stated, her reply wiping the smile off his face as he was brought back to reality.

"How…" he started to ask, since he had made a point not to mention Kathryn to her.

"I'm not an idiot. The day we met I saw that picture of the two of you together in graduation robes. And I'm guessing she's not your sister."

David was silent for a few moments before reluctantly confessing, "Okay, yes, technically Kathryn is my girlfriend."

"Technically?" Mary Margaret asked in disbelief.

"It's complicated."

"Yeah, that's what all guys say when they try to justify cheating."

"Hey, it's not like we've done anything wrong," he said in his defense. "What have we done? Seen each other when we get our morning coffee? To you that's cheating?"

"We both know it's more than that David. It might not have gotten physical, but it's more than just being friendly. I knew it was wrong and I let it happen anyway. And that's why I'm a fool. And that's why I'm ending this before we get any deeper."

"Mary Margaret, wait," David said, grabbing her hand as she started to walk away.

"No!" Mary Margaret yelled, not caring that people around them were staring. "I'm not going to be with someone who's already in a relationship! Figure out what you want. And until you do please stay away from me!"

With that she marched through the crowd and out the door, leaving a troubled David behind.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Watch it you oaf!" Regina hissed at the guy who had knocked into her on her way to the kitchen. She went over to the beer and punch and took a can of beer and poured it in a plastic cup. She leaned against the refrigerator, sipped her beer as she watched people come in and out of the kitchen. She had retreated to the kitchen since it was less crowded then the main rooms were, and there was less of a chance of running into Mary Margaret and Ruby (she was not in the mood to see either of them tonight.)

 _Why did I even come here_ , Regina wondered. When she had left her dorm she'd hoped going to a college party would be enjoyable. But as soon as she arrived she felt uncomfortable being around so many people. She thought about leaving outright, but instead decided to stay and have a drink so she didn't feel like this was a complete failure. _Five more minutes and I'm leaving_ , she thought. _That or when I finish this drink. Whatever comes first._

"Mind if I get by."

She looked over as a good looking man with a light beard stood in front of her. "Excuse me?"

"I just wanted to get in the fridge if that's alright."

Regina stepped aside and watched as the guy got a bottle of water. "You're not drinking anything?"

"I am. Just not alcohol," he stated as he wiggled the water bottle in his hand.

"Touché," Regina replied. She looked at her mostly full cup before setting it down on the counter. "I didn't even really want that."

"Then you shouldn't drink it if you don't want it," he replied as he got another bottle of water and handed it to her.

"Do you live here?" Regina asked, based on his pilfering of the fridge.

"No, I live in Mifflin. I'm just friends with the guys who live here so they don't mind if I get actual cold water."

Regina nodded her head as she studied the guy, not hating what she saw. "What's your name?"

"Graham. And yours?"

"Regina."

"I've seen you around the sixth floor. You're roommates with Emma Swan, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Regina answered as she unscrewed her water bottle and took a sip.

"She's not that bad. I think she just got a bad rap because of that article."

"Can we not talk about my roommate. She annoys the hell out of me."

"Fair enough. Though I am friends with her. So if you two are having problems, it might be best if you left any negative comments to yourself."

"Again, don't talk about her and we'll be fine," Regina reiterated. She looked at Graham, watching him grip his water bottle as he took a drink. _His hands are kind of like Daniel's_ , she thought. _Well groomed, but still big and strong looking._

XXXXXXXXXXX

"So you prefer the book, but hated your favorite character in it?" she asked in confusion.

"Correct," Graham stated. "In the movie Muldoon was serious and had a real respect for the dinosaurs instead of seeing them as tourist attractions. He seemed like someone you would trust when things got dangerous. But in the book he was a careless drunk. So while I liked the book better overall, I still put the movie first because of how he was portrayed in it."

Regina nodded her head, pondering what he had just said. "I've never actually read Jurassic Park. I've seen the first two movies."

"I'd lend you the book, but I left my copy at home. I'll try and remember to bring it back when I go home for Thanksgiving."

"I'm sure I can find it at the library. Though I haven't read anything that's not strictly for class since I got here," Regina stated.

"You should read it sometime. Do something that isn't just about school and studying."

Regina nodded her head, thinking over what he had said. While her mother had basically said the same thing to her earlier, somehow it made more of an impact coming from Graham. She looked at him as he talked, finding that she liked him. She hadn't felt that way about any guy since Daniel's death. But for the first time in a while she found herself liking another guy.

Before she could stop herself she leaned in and kissed him. His eyes widened briefly in surprise before he pulled her into him and deepened the kiss. A small voice in her head screamed that it was too soon, that this was a betrayal to Daniel. But she pushed those thoughts deep inside of her. She felt happiness right now, and didn't want to let go of that.

Suddenly they both pulled back as they heard a girl yell out in the other room. They looked out of the kitchen entrance, where they saw Mary Margaret yelling at David.

"Oh great," she said in annoyance. "That's all that I need."

"Do you know them?" Graham asked her.

"I have no idea who he is, but she's my other roommate."

"Aw," he replied.

As she looked at Graham, she realized she was sick of it all. Sick of the pain she had felt for over a year. Sick of loss and of dealing with her emotions. She wanted an escape from it all. And she felt that Graham could offer her that escape.

Before she could talk herself out of it she found herself saying, "Do you want to do back to my place?"


	7. Chapter 7

Mary Margaret stared at the cup of coffee in her hands (her fifth since she had arrived), barely noticing the few other patrons scattered around. While the diner was fairly empty at close to 1am, it was still a Friday night in a college town, and night owls needed a place to go to eat and get out of the lingering rain.

She sighed in frustration as she thought about her situation with David, having gone over the whole thing for the last several hours. She kept telling herself that she had probably overreacted at the party, and that he had a point in that they hadn't exactly been kissing or anything like that. But then she'd remind herself that he pretty much said he liked her, and yet was in a relationship with another girl. So even if nothing physical had occurred between them, it still felt wrong.

Just then she was snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of a breaking plate, following by someone hissing "shit." She looked over, seeing a blonde waitress on the floor scooping up the mess.

"Here, let me help you," Mary Margaret said as she went over.

"Thanks," the girl replied weakly. "I'm so stupid."

"No you're not," Mary Margaret responded as they carefully picked up the broken pieces and threw them in the trash.

"Yes I am. This is the second plate I've broken this week. They said if I broke another one they'd start taking it out of my salary. I know $3.99 doesn't seem like a lot, but I'm really struggling."

Mary Margaret looked at the girl's tearful face before pulling $5 from her pocket and handing it to her. "Here"

"You already paid for your coffee," the girl said questionably. "And the refills are free."

"It's for the plate. So you don't lose money for it," Mary Margaret explained.

"Thank you," the girl said sadly. "Although I shouldn't have dropped it in the first place."

"Everyone makes mistakes," Mary Margaret replied knowingly. "We just have to learn from them. I'm sure you'll be more careful next time."

"I hope so," she said as she frowned in recognition. "Are you in Professor Henson's class?"

"Yeah, I have him at 2:00pm Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"I have him at 12:30pm the same day. I've seen you come in as I'm leaving. I'm Ashley."

"Mary Margaret."

"Do you take archery by any chance?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know that?"

"One of the other waitresses mentioned someone named Mary Margaret who was good at archery. Ruby," Ashley explained.

"Ruby, yes I'm friends with her," Mary Margaret replied.

"I wish I was like her. She's great at waitressing. Guys are always giving her really good tips."

"I bet they are," Mary Margaret said under her breath.

"ASHLEY!" The two girls jumped as a large man behind the counter glared at them. "Last I checked you were still on the clock. Get back to work."

"I've got to go. Nice talking to you," Ashley hurriedly said as she grabbed a stack of dishware and disappeared into the kitchen.

Mary Margaret went back to her table and sipped her cooling cup of coffee. She continued sitting there for another half an hour, before noticing it had finally stopped raining. She left the diner and decided to walk around town as she contemplated things. Or maybe go to the woods and walk until the sun came up

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma yawned loudly as she walked down the empty hallway and got in the elevator, taking it up to the sixth floor. While she had been miserable for most of the day, she had ended up having a good night. After telling off Lily she went to the café where she ran into Ariel from the scavenger hunt. The two of them ate dinner together, where somehow it came up that Emma had never seen any of the _Back to the Future_ movies. Upon learning that Ariel practically dragged Emma to her room, where the two girls watched the entire trilogy. By the time it was over it was past 2am and Emma was exhausted. But even though she was tired, this was the first enjoyable night she had had since the whole thing with Lily started.

Finally Emma made it to her room and quietly opened the door, vaguely able to make out that only Regina's bed was occupied. Emma stumbled in the dark (which is the only reason she failed to notice that Regina's bed had more than one person in it) to her own bed and kicked off her shoes before collapsing on top of it and falling asleep in her clothes.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma groaned as she felt herself wake up. _It's too early_ , she thought as she heard movement. She looked around, expecting to see one of her roommates up, and instead gasped as she saw someone walking around who was definitely not a roommate. "Graham?"

"Oh, hello Emma," he said awkwardly.

"What are you doing here? And shirtless?" she asked as he quickly pulled on his shirt.

"Shit," Regina said as she came into the room wearing a bathrobe and flip flops. "I told you to leave before anyone saw you."

"I wanted to say goodbye before I left," Graham explained.

"That's sweet," she said as she kissed Graham, ignoring the mortified look on Emma's face. "I'll see you later tonight."

"Okay. Nice seeing you Emma," Graham quickly replied before leaving.

Emma's eyes followed Graham out of the room before looking at her roommate. "You slept with Graham?"

"I don't have to tell you what I do in my private life."

"You're sleeping with Graham," Emma reiterated. "My friend Graham."

"If you insisted on this questioning, then yes, Graham and I were together last night," Regina stated.

"God this is so…how the hell do you even know each other?"

"We met at the Boardman party last night and end up talking-" Regina said before stopping herself, wondering why she was talking to her infuriating roommate about this. "You know what; this is none of your business."

"It is my business when you're sleeping with a friend of mine. I mean, you're so-"

"So what?" Regina challenged, displaying her usual distain for her roommate, which she had kept in check while she was recovering over her broken heart. "What exactly were you going to say?"

Emma struggled to think of a diplomatic way of saying Graham could do better than Regina, before another thought went through her head. "Oh gross, you two did it while I was here."

"Don't be disgusting."

"What's going on?" Mary Margaret asked as she walked in.

"Regina had sex with Graham while I was in the room," Emma stated, sounded like a kid tattling.

"The room was empty when we came back here. No one was even in it when we fell asleep," Regina stated in frustration. "I refuse to have an audience when I'm intimate with someone, thank you very much."

"You two were here when I got back," Emma countered.

"We were asleep!" Regina reiterated. "And this is my room too! I should be able to use it as I see fit. And that includes having reasonable privacy. Unlike you who apparently had no problem going to the bathroom in front of a dozen girls in a jail cell. "

"I swear to god, I will strangle you in your sleep if you say another thing about juvie or anything-"

"Okay!" Mary Margaret yelled, trying to play peace keeper between the three of them. "Regina, can you please stop bringing up Emma being in juvenile hall."

"Especially since she got that article published so the whole school would know," Emma said.

"You can't prove anything!" Regina yelled.

"Enough!" Mary Margaret said firmly enough for her roommates to actually listen. "You two have been at each other's throats since we moved in. We're not even two months into the school year. We're stuck together until the middle of May, or at the very least until the beginning of next semester when we'll have a better chance at switching rooms if we saw fit. Can you two at least try and be civil to each other, so it's not a warzone around here."

"She-" Emma started, before being silenced at the glare Mary Margaret gave her. "Fine. I'll play nice as long as she stops being up that I went to juvie."

"Regina," Mary Margaret reiterated.

"Very well, I won't bring it up anymore," Regina huffed in annoyance.

"Good," Mary Margaret replied. "Now onto the other issue. We haven't talked about…having others in this room before-"

"You can say needing the room to have sex with people," Emma said.

"Because it hasn't come up yet," Margaret said, ignoring Emma's phrasing. "But now that it has we need to talk about what we should do if someone's using it for…certain purposes. I think we should have some sort of system that lets each other know they're in the room with someone else."

"What, like a sock on the door?" Emma asked.

"I'd rather not advertise that I'm having sex," Regina stated.

"God, you're a prude," Emma huffed. "I thought Mary Margaret was the uptight one."

"Least I can actually say the word 'sex'," Regina said, causing both her and Emma to actually giggle over that.

"Okay," Mary Margaret huffed, not liking being ganged up on. "It doesn't have to be a sock or a tie or anything like that. How about just a simple 'do not disturb' sign on the doorknob, like they have for hotels. Simple and effective."

"Fine," Emma said.

"I suppose I can live with that," Regina reasoned.

"Whatever you say you're Majesty," Emma said under her breath.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Over the next few days it seemed like whenever Emma went back to her room that damn 'do not disturb' sign was hanging on the door, forcing her to go else ware. And whenever she could actually go in her room Regina and Graham were always there kissing, or cuddling, or holding one another. It was sickening. The two of them had just met and couldn't keep their hands off each other.

"What the hell do you even see in her?" Emma asked Graham while she was visiting him in his room.

"I'm shocked, you have a problem with me dating your roommate. I mean, given your shy delicate sensibilities I figured you'd be nothing but thrilled." He chuckled at the glare she gave him before simply replying, "I just like her, alright," he replied.

"You both are like those two comic characters, the ones who can't keep from touching one another. Every time I'm in my room I want to turn a hose on the both of you."

"Oh, like you've never been all hands with a girl during the beginning of a relationship?" he asked.

"The last real relationship I was in was before I came out." Emma stated, since she couldn't really call her time will Lily an actual relationship. "And trust me, I did not want to be physical with him. The point is, Regina may be hot, but she's bad news. She can't be trusted."

"Look, I'm well aware that you two don't get along. But you don't see what I see. She's sweet and passionate and very giving."

"You're just saying that because you're humping like rabbits. Take that away and what do you have?" Emma challenged.

"You know what, why don't you just get out then," Graham said angrily as he opened the door.

"Fine," Emma stated as she left. "Enjoy being with Miss. Bitch."

Graham groaned in annoyance as he closed his door, thinking over what Emma had just said. In truth he had noticed how…affectionate Regina was with him. While it was great in a lot of ways, it also seemed like all they did was make out or have sex. Whenever he wanted to just talk or do something she would grab hold of him, attached her lips to his, and it was off to the races. And while that was great, Emma's comment made him wonder if sex and such was all that they had between them. Because while he enjoyed sleeping with her, he hoped that things between them could be more than what they currently had.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Thanks for letting me hang out here," Mary Margaret said as she and Belle watched TV.

"No problem," Belle replied, having grown used to Mary Margaret and Emma hanging out in her room lately. "Regina and Graham are in there again?"

"I swear, it's like spring break in there," Mary Margaret said distastefully. "I'm assuming."

"Yeah, I get that. Ruby hooked up with a guy the other night and I ended up having to sleep in Peggy's room. Speak of the devil," Bell said as the door opened and Ruby walked in. "We were just talking about, wow."

"What do you think?" Ruby asked, pointing to the bright red streaks in her hair.

"It looks great," Belle stated.

"Yeah, really good," Mary Margaret replied.

"I've always wanted to do it, but Granny would never let me. But now that I'm away at college this seemed like the perfect time to try it. Not that I mind, but what are you doing here?" Ruby asked Mary Margaret.

"Regina and Graham are using their room," Belle stated.

"Actually," Mary Margaret said pointedly. "I wanted your help in picking out an outfit to wear. I have a date tonight."

"You have a date? Great! So David finally asked you out," Ruby exclaimed.

"It's not with David," she replied a bit sadly before putting on a brave face. "I know everyone's rooting for us, but he's still with his girlfriend as far as I know. And I'm not waiting around for him to make a decision. So I'm going on a date with a guy I met in the café, Victor."

"Do we know him?" Belle asked.

"I'm not sure. All I know about him is he's sophomore and he had on a fraternity sweatshirt. Hopefully I'll know more about him after our date."

"Well good for you," Ruby said. "I know you like David. But you shouldn't wait around for him forever. Go out and have some fun. Oh! I know. You two should come by the diner. I'm working there tonight. I'll make sure you get a discount. That and I think there's a good special tonight."

"Okay. I'll suggest that."

"Super. Now let's find you something to wear," Ruby said as she opened her closet.

"I'm vetoing anything I don't like," Mary Margaret replied firmly as she thought about the upcoming evening, hoping it went well.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

It didn't.

In short her date just seemed to go wrong from the beginning. They ended up going to the diner, and the whole time they never seemed to be on the same wavelength. Each time they tried to talk about something it just faded off until they didn't know what to say. And there was also the fact that he wasn't very good at hiding when he checked out other woman.

"So…where were we," Victor asked uncomfortably. "Something about you wanting, fifteen kids?" he asked.

"No good lord no," Mary Margaret quickly replied. "I meant I was thinking about teaching kids. As a profession. It's still a while until I have to declare a major, but it's something to consider."

"Oh yeah, that's a great profession," he said awkwardly.

She laughed lightly at the thought of what he must have been thinking. "I mean obviously I don't want fifteen kids of my own. I mean not that I don't want kids, I do. I want kids, marriage, true love, I want it all. But that of course is…" She trailed off as she saw that his eyes weren't on her. She glanced around, seeing that he was staring at Ruby, who was bent over cleaning a nearby table. "Wildly inappropriate to discuss on a first date," she said with thinly veiled annoyance.

"Hu?" he said, oblivious over the fact that he had been caught checking out her friend.

"Ruby," she said pointedly.

"Yes, Mary Margaret?" Ruby asked.

"Check please," she said sadly, accepting that their date was over.

Ruby glared at Victor as she set the check on the table, able to sense that things were not going well. Victor made a show of reaching into his jacket, before sighing in frustration. "Oh my, this is embarrassing. It seems I left my wallet in my other jacket. I usually don't wear this one and I must have forgotten to check if I had it before I left."

"So you don't have any money?" she asked in disbelief, knowing where this was heading.

"I know it's a bit awkward, but would you mind…"

"No, not at all," she said hurriedly, trying to keep from screaming. "Thank you for a _lovely_ evening. Have a good night." She threw a few bills on the table before quickly rushing out of the diner.

"Mary Margaret!" Ruby yelled as she ran after her. "What happened, is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Mary Margaret replied sarcastically. "He just forgot his wallet and I had to pay for both of us. The perfect end to a perfect date."

"Oh boy, that really sucks," Ruby replied.

"Though it might have gone better if you dressed more appropriately," Mary Margaret said, waving her hand at the short shorts and shirt tied off at the stomach that Ruby had on.

"Excuse me?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"His eyes were pretty much glued to you all night. Though it's understandable. You look like you should be at the docks waiting for the fleet to come in."

"What the hell is your problem?" Ruby asked angrily. "I know you had a bad date, but that's no reason to stand there judging me because of it."

"Sure, because we should all be as open minded as you," Mary Margaret replied. "I may have had a bad date, but at least I actually went on one. Unlike you who throws herself at any guy that passes before you even know their name."

"Right, because everyone should be as self-rigorous as you. You have no right to stand there judging me for actually liking sex. Though maybe you'd change your tune if you were actually getting some, instead of just pining over David."

"How dare you!" Mary Margaret yelled. "I call you out on sleeping around and you throw my feelings back at me!"

"How dare you. You pretty much called me a slut!" Ruby yelled.

"I'm just calling it like I see it."

"You really are a sanctimonious bitch! And a hypocrite. In your eyes it's fine for Emma to sleep with Lily a day after meeting her, or for Regina to screw Graham nonstop. But when I have sex I get judged for it?"

"They're starting new relationships. It's completely different from what you're doing," Mary Margaret stated. "If Emma had a different girl every night I'd feel the same way.

"No, I'm sure you'd give her a free pass because she's gay," Ruby challenged.

"What?" Mary Margaret said in confusion,

"Oh come on. You're so afraid at being seen as sheltered and homophobic that she escapes any of your self-righteousness. Whereas I get branded a slut in your eyes."

"You being straight and her being gay isn't the point. She was starting a new relationship. You just sleep with guys and toss them aside. There's a difference."

"I don't need this. I don't need you looking down your nose at me. Have fun judging others because you can't get the guy you want." Ruby stormed back to the diner before yelling out, "And for the record, I never said I was straight!" With that she walked back inside, leaving a fuming Mary Margaret on the sidewalk.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell happened between you and Ruby?" Emma asked her roommate the next day.

"We had a fight," Mary Margaret said simply, feeling shameful over what had happened.

"She said you called her a slut and a hooker."

"I didn't say that," Mary Margaret said in her defense. "I just called her out over the fact that she seems to have slept with a number of different men in the short time I've known her."

"Who cares," Emma asked, surprised at how judgmental her friend was being. "You're not her mother. So what if she's had sex with some guys. She's not a nun. She can do whatever she wants. You need to go apologize to her, because what you said was really over the line."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ruby sat behind the counter of the diner, angrily rolling forks and knives into napkins. It had been two days since she and Mary Margaret had fought and neither girl had spoken to the other. She hated that they were fighting, but she refused to say anything until she received an apology. Especially since she didn't do anything wrong.

 _What the hell is her problem_ , she thought, having analyzed their fight several times over. _I know she's a bit sheltered, but what she said was beyond over the line. So what if I've slept with…four different guys since starting college. That's not that bad. It's college. You're supposed to discover yourself and sow your oats and such. She shouldn't be judging me over that. I really thought we were friends. Maybe I misjudged her._

Just then she noticed a couple walk in and sit at a table, realizing it was Victor out with another girl. Despite her current feelings towards Mary Margaret, she still thought it was shitty how he had treated her on their date. As she looked at them she began to form a plan to get a little of payback on him.

She kept her cool while she took their orders and served them their food, pretending not to pay them any attention as they went about their date. She finally saw her chance when he excused himself to use the restroom. She waited until he was in the bathroom before going over to the girl. "Hi, can I talk to you for a sec."

"Is there a problem?" the girl asked.

"I just wanted to let you know that the guy you're with was here the other night with another girl. And he 'forgot' his wallet and made her pay for both of them. Just figured you should know."

"Thanks," the girl said in annoyance. Ruby scurried away as Victor made his way back from the bathroom. "Okay, where were we? You wanted to know if I work with cadavers as a second year med student, right?"

"Did you 'forget' your wallet so I would have to pay the whole check?"

"What?" he stammered as she stared daggers at him. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Someone just told me you did that to a girl the other night. Were you planning to do that with me?"

"No…no…no," he said, sounding less convincing with each 'no'. "I was going to pay. Here, let me just…" he slowly reached into his jacket, the seconds ticking by as he 'pretended' to search for his wallet. "Just a sec…"

"You're a dick, you know that," she said as she stood up. "I wouldn't have had a problem splitting the check. But that's a real asshole move to pull. Goodbye."

With that the girl stormed out of the diner. Victor sat there dumbfounded when Ruby suddenly sauntered over. "Here you go," she said sweetly as she placed the check in front of him. "Just pay whenever you're ready."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Mary Margaret was eating lunch in the cafeteria the next day when she heard someone shout her name. She looked over as Victor marched on over to her. "Victor?"

"Your waitress friend's a real bitch."

"Don't call her that," she immediately said, anger building within her.

"She ruined a date I was on last night," he lamented

"I'm sure whatever she did you deserved if you treated your date like you treated me. Between making me pay for both of us and checking out every other girl we saw, that night _was_ a real good time," she replied.

"Whatever. Just tell her to stay out of my business."

"Treat women better and I'm sure she will."

He huffed at her before walking away. Mary Margaret sat at her table, shocked by what she had just learned. Despite their fight Ruby had gotten back at Victor for the bad date she had gone on. That was really something, and the mark of a true friend. Which was something she had not been lately.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ruby heard knocking and opened her door, surprised when she saw who was on the other side. "Hi," she coolly replied.

"Can I come in?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Sure," Ruby said uncertainly.

Margaret waited until the door was closed before saying without preamble, "I'm sorry for what I said to you. It was…."

"Hurtful," Ruby said truthfully as she folded her arms.

"Right. It was hurtful and ignorant and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't forgive me. But I'm really sorry for what I said. Because you're a really great friend. And I was a terrible one to you. And I'm truly sorry for hurting you."

Ruby looked at Mary Margaret, sensing the girl was sincere with her apology. "I forgive you," she said before hugging her friend.

"Thank you," Mary Margaret said as they separated. "I was just so frustrated over that terrible date and the whole David thing, and I just took it out on you."

"Figured," Ruby replied.

"Though that's no excuse for judging you like I did. Emma's right, it's none of my business."

"Well…you may have had a slight point. I could maybe try actually dating someone first. Or at least have a higher standard with those I hook up with. The last guy I was with was hardly a prize."

Mary Margaret chuckled before saying seriously, "Victor told me what you did to him the other night. That was really something."

"I couldn't let him get away with doing that to you. Especially since he was about to do the same thing to someone else."

"I'm better off without him," Mary Margaret said truthfully.

"Damn right M M."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this; but I actually missed you calling me that."

"Knew I'd grow on you," Ruby said with a smile.

Mary Margaret then frowned as something from their fight came back to her. "Before we put this behind us, there is one question I have. When you ran back inside you told me you never said you were straight?"

"That's because I'm not," Ruby said with a shrug. "I'm bi."

"So…you like both guys and girls?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Yup. I mean, I much more heavily lean towards guys. But I'm attracted to both. I'd say it's about 70 percent guys, 30 percent girls."

"Oh," Mary Margaret said in surprise. "I had no idea."

"It's not exactly something I'm hiding. It just wasn't something that came up before," Ruby said, noticing the look on her friend's face. "You're not going to act weird about this, are you?"

"No!" Mary Margaret said. "It's just…this isn't something I'm used to. Before I came here I didn't know anyone who was gay. Then suddenly I have a roommate who's a lesbian, and now you're telling me you're bisexual. It's just a lot to take in."

"Well believe me, there are more of us around then you'd think."

Mary Margaret nodded her head, mulling that one over. "I promise I won't treat you any differently. At least, I'm going to try not to."

"You might have been a bit sheltered, but you're hearts in the right place," Ruby reiterated.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Despite it being the middle of the night, Regina was wide awake as she lay in bed. She glanced over at Graham, who was fast asleep next to her. She sighed uncomfortably as she turned onto her other side. Tonight had felt very awkward. She had gone to see Graham and felt like something was off with him. She tried talking to him at first about it. But when he started going on about wanting an actual relationship and asking her if they had anything in common she panicked and insisted they sleep together. She had practically thrown herself upon him just so they would stop talking. Though even having sex hasn't been that enjoyable for either of them. Instead it had felt more like a chore, or an attempt to keep things from falling apart.

Regina shivered a bit, feeling uncomfortable with what had happened, and wondering what it meant for them. She had started this so she could forget about the pain of losing Daniel and her father. And at first it had worked. He had proven a welcome distraction. But lately she felt like he wasn't happy when they were together. And she couldn't understand why. She wished they could go back to two weeks ago, when they first hooked up and everything was enjoyable. Not now when it felt awkward and uncomfortable to be together.

 _I'll just try harder_ , she thought to herself. _I'll work harder and make him like me again._

Unbeknownst to her, Graham wasn't actually asleep either. While his eyes were closed, in actuality he was awake and thinking over the two of them being together. He wanted more from her. But the more they were together the more he felt like she couldn't give him what he wanted. He wanted a girlfriend, and she wanted…someone just to sleep with he was reasoning. While he would be lying if he said the sex hadn't been good at first, even that was starting to feel hollow and empty now. It might not be how a lot of guys thought. But to him sex wasn't truly enjoyable if there wasn't any emotion behind it.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't know what I should do," he said to Emma the next day. He had asked her to come to his room so he could get another opinion on his situation with Regina. "I keep hoping I'll feel something when I'm with her, that we'll become something more. But it's like we're stuck and can't move forward."

"Right," Emma said uncomfortably. "I'm not trying to blow you off, but do you think I'm the best person to be talking about this? You know I'm not exactly objective in what I think about your girlfriend."

"Girlfriend," Graham said with a hollow laugh. "That makes it sound like what we have is more than what it is. At this point I don't see us as boyfriend and girlfriend. Not when anytime I try to get to know her she throws herself against me to get me to shut up."

"Okay, I don't need a vivid visual," Emma said in disgust. "I've already got enough of that just from the number of times I've been kicked out of my room since you two became a thing." She sighed before deciding to voice her opinion on the matter. "Alright look. It doesn't seem like you're happy being with her. And I can tell her she's not exactly a warm and fuzzy person who's open with people. So if that's what you're hoping for I doubt it will happen. I'd say end it now before you two get even deeper. Because the longer you're with her the harder it will be to end things."

Graham nodded his head, having given the matter thought already. While he found Regina attractive, he wasn't feeling anything emotionally towards her. Mostly because she refused to open up to him at all. And he didn't want to be with someone who was that closed off to him.

Just then they both heard a loud knock. Graham got up and opened the door, revealing Regina. "Hello. What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," she replied as she walked inside, frowning at seeing Emma sitting on Graham's bed. "What's she doing here?"

"I was just talking to her about something," he replied.

"Right…" Emma said as she slowly got up off the bed. "I'm just going to go and-"

"Stay where you are," Regina hissed. "I want to know what it is the two of you were talking about." Her face softened at seeing the anguished look on Graham's face. "You don't look so good," she said as she took hold of his hand. "Come on, let's go back to my room and-"

"I don't want to go," he said as he pulled his arm away from her. "Not with you."

"Oh," she replied in surprise. "But you're fine being with her?"

"Hey, this is between the two of you. Leave me out of it," Emma stated, wanting to leave but feeling unable to with the two of them in front of the door.

"She's right," Graham said. "This is between us. And I've realized something. When we're together…I don't feel anything Regina. And I know it's not me. It's you," he said, trying to ignore the wounded look on her face.

"So you're leaving me?" she asked.

"Yes."

"For her?" she questioned.

"I'm just friends with Graham. Gay, remember," Emma quietly reiterated.

"She has nothing to do with this," Graham said while Regina looked at him as if she didn't believe him. "I'm leaving you for me, because you can't give me what I need."

"Graham, you're not thinking straight. Let's go back to my room and we-"

"No. I'm sorry, but I'm not getting what I need when we're together. And I'd rather have nothing then settle for less. I need to be with someone who makes me feel something, who wants me for more than…whatever it is we have. I'm sorry Regina, but it's over."

Regina took a step back, shocked by what was happening. She looked at Graham before looking over at Emma. "I don't know what it is that I did to you. But once again you keep taking away everything I hold dear."

"I told you, this doesn't have anything to do with her," Graham reiterated.

"No, because you just happened to decide this right after talking to someone who hates me," Regina stated. "This wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for her."

"Didn't you hear him? The problem isn't with either of us, but with you," Emma replied.

"Excuse me?" Regina asked.

"Graham was miserable with you. Mary Margaret and I are miserable living with you. Maybe you're the one who needs to look yourself in the mirror and ask herself why that is. Why does everyone just want to run away and leave you?"

Regina looked at Emma for a moment before punching her in the face, sending the girl reeling backwards into Graham and onto the ground. Emma pulled herself up and punched Regina right back, crying out as she grabbed hold of her and threw her against the wall. She readied to punch her again when Graham pulled her off her. "Stop this! Both of you!"

"You fucking psycho!" Emma cried out.

"You'll…you're going to pay for this. For everything!" Regina yelled before marching out of the room. She charged down the hall and went into the bathroom, where she looked at herself in the mirror. Her left cheek was already starting to bruise. She tried splashing cold water on her face, though it was difficult since her hands were shaking with rage. _She won't get away with this_ , Regina thought. _She's going to pay. I'm going to tell the RA that she hit me. No, I'll go directly to President Spencer. That will get her kicked out. It wouldn't even matter that I hit her first. He won't care as long as we can get her kicked out of school. She deserves to get kicked out of here. First my apples, then Graham. She needs to pay._

As she stared at herself she thought over what Graham had said to her, about being unemotionally available. And while she hadn't wanted him as a 'boyfriend' per say, hearing that had been hard on her. It meant that she had nothing to offer others. That she was just a hollow husk.

Tears fell from her eyes as she started crying. As hard as it was to believe, she had once been a happy caring person. But after losing the love of her life and then her father, she had shut down, feeling angry and hurt at everything around her. And ever since she came to school she felt like she was getting worse. Maybe that's why she was so angry with Emma. Because somehow the infuriating girl made her see just what kind of a person she had become.

Regina stumbled into one of the stalls and sat on the toilet as she buried her face in her hands and cried. She didn't know how long she actually stayed in there. All she knew was she cried harder than she had in a long time. The last time she had cried like this was in her bedroom the night after her father's funeral. After that she had tried to temper her emotions and not let herself be that vulnerable again. But now it was all coming out and she couldn't stop it.

Eventually Regina felt as if she had cried herself out. She walked out of the bathroom, feeling completely drained. But while all she wanted was crawl into bed and sleep, she had one more thing to do. And she had to do it tonight before she changed her mind.

She made it back to her room, grateful neither of her roommates were there at the moment. She sat down at her desk and quickly dialed her phone, waiting anxiously for the other person to answer. " _Hello_?"

"Mother."

" _Regina? Are you alright? You sound like you've been crying. Is something wrong?_ "

"I'm really not up for talking tonight, so please just answer me without asking any questions. When we last talked you said you know of some therapists by my school. I need you give me their numbers and tell me which of them was the best."


	8. Chapter 8

Dr. Hopper waited patiently as he sat across from Regina, watching her draw patterns on the arm of the couch, hoping she'd eventually say something. It was their second therapy session, and so far it was going as well as their first one had gone. When she had arrived for their first meeting he told her to take her time and speak when she was ready to talk, figuring it would only take a few minutes or so. Instead she ended up not saying anything for the whole session, save for introducing herself when she arrived and then saying 'goodbye' when the session was over. Given how their first meeting went, a part of him was honestly surprised that she actually showed up two days later for their next session.

When her mother had called to set up the appointment she had warned him that the girl would be reluctant to open up. And generally he liked patients to open up at their own pace. But after spending their entire first session and nearly half of this one sitting in silence he figured he'd have to get the ball rolling. "What are you think about Regina?"

The girl shrugged before looking over at his desk. "Where did you get the grasshopper?"

Dr. Hopper glanced over his shoulder at the crystal figurine. "It's actually a cricket. It was given to me as a gift some time ago. Although I suppose it does look a bit like a grasshopper." He smiled kindly at her before asking, "Do you like bugs?"

"No," she said in disgust. "Though I do like caterpillars."

"That's interesting. Most people prefer butterflies," Dr. Hopper stated.

"Butterflies are fragile creatures that people only like because they're nice to look at. Caterpillars are sturdy and flexible, and are tougher than people give them credit for."

"I never really thought about that," Dr. Hopper mused. "Would you say they're misunderstood then?"

Regina frowned at the question. "I know what you're doing?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You're asking if I like caterpillars because they're misunderstood, which will lead into you wanting me to open up about feeling misunderstood."

"I'm not trying to trick or manipulate you Regina," Dr. Hopper explained. "I'm trying to get to know you so I can help you. That's all I want."

Regina strongly wanted to say 'if that's true then why is my mom bothering to pay you', but bit back her retort. Despite how uncomfortable she felt being here, she did want to get better. And even with her reluctance to open up she didn't hate being around the man. He at least seemed better than the first therapist her mother had recommended. She had walked out of their first and only session after the perv had asked her to describe her bathroom habits.

"I know this can be uncomfortable," Dr. Hopper stated. "But we don't have to go into any deep stuff right away. Let's start with something simple. What made you decide to come here?"

 _That's your idea of simple_ , she thought with disbelief. She thought about a reason to give that wasn't about Daniel or her father before finally saying, "Because I punched my roommate in the face."

"I see. Any reason you did that?"

"Because she's infuriating. She's an insufferable brat who has no regard for my feelings or my personal space. She goes out of her way to piss me off, she takes my stuff without asking, she's a slob who leaves her clothes and food containers all around the room. My other roommate is annoying, but Emma is a nightmare." Regina sighed sadly before she found herself saying, "We had a fight recently, and she told me that everyone in my life leaves me. That's why I hid her."

"I'm sorry. That's a very hurtful thing to say to someone," Dr. Hopper exclaimed.

 _She's wasn't wrong though_ , Regina thought to herself. _That's probably why I hit her. Because she was telling the truth._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I told you, I went to Good Will this morning and found a pair of leather gloves…I just need do get a couple other things for my outfit…I know Halloween is tomorrow, that's why I'm going today…yes, I'll have my costume ready before tomorrow. Goodbye."

Mary Margaret sighed in annoyance, hanging up her phone as she entered the campus center. She couldn't believe how intense Emma was being over their Halloween costumes. Emma had gotten the idea for the two of them, Ruby and Belle to dress up as fairy tale characters for a group costume. And she had been hounding them about it all week. She knew her roommate liked Halloween (she had made the four of them watch horror movies every night for the last two weeks), but her intensity was getting out of hand.

"Little help!" a maintenance worker on a ladder yelled out as the large plastic skeleton he was hanging started slipping from his grasp.

"Hang on!" Mary Margaret called out, seeing the commotion up ahead. She ran over and grabbed the skeleton by the legs, keeping it steady until it was secured. "There you go."

"Thanks for the help," the worker replied. He started adjusting the skeleton when he accidently jerked it forward, knocking it into Mary Margaret and sending her tumbling to the ground. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry."

"Here, let me help," a new voice said.

Mary Margaret felt someone pull her to her feet, before realizing that person was none other than David. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Are you alright?" the maintenance worker asked.

"I'm fine," she told him before frowning at David. "Are you stalking me?"

"I was walking by and saw you fall to the ground. I was just trying to help," he explained.

"Well, thank you. Now if you'll excuse me," she said before starting off.

"Wait," David said as he walked with her. "I've been trying to talk to you ever since that party."

"I told you that it was better if we avoided each other."

"I know that's what you said. But is that really what you want?"

"What I want is for someone I like not to string me along while he's drawing out if he wants to be with his current girlfriend or not," she explained angrily.

"I'm going to break up with her," he insisted.

"Okay, when?" Mary Margaret challenged David. "When exactly is this going to happen?"

As way of an answer David pulled his phone out and showed Mary Margaret the text message he had sent Kathryn. "See, I texted her yesterday asking her to call me so I can talk to her. I'm just waiting for her to get back to me."

"You're doing this over the phone?" Mary Margaret asked. "I wouldn't have guessed Prince Charming was a coward."

"Okay one, stop calling me that. And two, I'm not a coward."

"You're breaking up with your girlfriend over the phone instead of in person. That's the cowards way of doing it."

"Hey, I'm not looking forward to doing this, okay. I'm sure you've tried figuring out the best way to do something unpleasant."

Mary Margaret started to argue with him, when she realized he had a point. When she had applied to colleges her father had his heart set on her going to the University of Maine. Then when she got the letter of acceptance from SBU (her first choice) she waited a couple days before telling her father. So while it wasn't exactly the same thing, she could still identify with wanting to put off something you weren't looking forward to doing.

"Are you doing anything for Halloween?" David suddenly asked her.

"My friends and I are dressing up and going to the dance. My roommate Emma is obsessing over our costumes"

"Sounds like fun. What are you dressing up as?"

"A bandit. But one from fairy tale times. Boots, riding pants, a cloak. Are you going to the dance?" she asked David.

"It starts at 8pm, right? I might check out the beginning of it. They're showing the original Carrie tomorrow at 10pm at the cinema downtown, which I really want to go see."

"That's my favorite horror movie," Mary Margaret exclaimed. "I've seen it a number of times, but I'd love to see it on the big screen."

"Do you want to go with me?" he asked her. "We can go to the dance for a while and then go downtown and see the movie."

"Sure, I'd love to do that," she happily stated, before processing that she just agreed to go on a date with David.

It was then that they found themselves in front of Mifflin Hall, having inadvertently walked back to it. They went inside when the front desk worker called over to David, "Hey, someone's here to see you."

"What?" David said before a blonde haired girl engulfed him in a tight hug. "Kathryn?"

"David!" she happily squealed as she peppered his face with kisses.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he gently pulled her back.

"I felt bad about not being able to see you all those weeks ago. Then when you left that message I decided to come up for Halloween weekend. Surprise!"

"Yeah, I'm real surprised," David said before looking over at a stunned Mary Margaret. "Oh, Kathryn, this is my friend Mary Margaret. Mary Margaret, this is Kathryn."

"Nice to meet you," Kathryn said, not a trace of suspicion or jealousy detected in her voice.

"Likewise," Mary Margaret said evenly, trying to keep her emotions in check. "I'll just leave you two to yourselves. Enjoy being up here."

With that she quickly went to the elevator and jabbed at the button, trying to ignore the two of them as she waited for the elevator to arrive.

"Did you know your school's having a Halloween dance?" Kathryn asked her boyfriend. "I brought us matching prince and princess costumes. We're going to look so cute together. We might even win the costume contest."

"Yeah, we could do that," David replied vaguely. "I was thinking of seeing Carrie tomorrow at the movie theater."

Just then the elevator door opened and Mary Margaret stepped inside, eager to get away from the two of them. The doors closed just as she heard Kathryn reply, "That's too scary. You know I hate horror movies.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm just so sick of this. It's like every time I think I'm over him he shows up and throws me through the ringer. And now his girlfriend is here for the weekend and of course she's sweet and adorable, even if we both like horror movies and she doesn't."

"Yeah, that's great," Emma simply said as she made adjustments to the princess dress she had procured from Good Will. While she did feel bad for her friend, she was getting tired of all the 'David drama.' "So I'm guessing this means you're going to pout about this setback now."

"Emma!" Mary Margaret exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm sorry, but all it's been since school started is 'David this' and 'David that.'"

Mary Margaret looked over at Ruby, who was being unusually quiet during all this. "Do you feel this way too?"

"Well…" Ruby stammered as she tried to voice her opinion. "I mean…I know you like the guy. But, you don't want to be with him because he has a girlfriend. And he keeps putting off ending things with her. It might be time to just move on."

"I keep trying to do that," Mary Margaret explained. "But then he keeps showing up in my life. It's not exactly a huge school. It's not that hard to run into each other."

Just then they heard a loud knock on the door. "Come in!" Emma yelled.

"Look what I found at the costume department," Belle happily exclaimed she walked in holding a large piece of silver fabric that widened off at the end. "They were just going to throw it away."

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"It's a Bell," Belle explained as she held it in front of herself. "Or it's going to be once I cut a hold for my head and make a few other modifications. Clever right? It's going to make a great costume for the dance."

"I thought we were all going to be fairy tale characters?" Emma said. "Ruby's going as Red Riding Hood. Mary Margaret and I are both princesses. And you're a fairy."

"I'm not a princess, I'm a bandit," Mary Margaret reiterated.

"Fine, a princess bandit. Whatever. The point is we were all going as a group costume and now you're changing your outfit."

"We're still going together," Belle stated. "And you three can still be fairy tale people. But when I saw this it was too clever an idea not to use."

"But it works if we all dress the same. And I never dress girly. Don't say it," she warned a snickering Ruby and Mary Margaret as she held up her costume. "I'm actually looking forward to wearing this."

It was at that moment that Regina walked into the room, holding a cafeteria food take out container in her hands. She only made it a few steps before stepping on a spool of thread, which Emma had inadvertently knocked off the table. She cried out as she slipped, throwing her arms out to keep from falling and causing her container to fly out of her hands. Before anyone could stop it the container opened in midair and fell into Emma's dress, covering it in spaghetti and red sauce.

"My dress!" Emma yelled. "Look what happened to my dress!"

"I'm sorry!" Regina yelled. "I slipped and it fell out of my hands!"

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?!" Emma cried out.

"It was an accident!" Regina screamed.

"Maybe we can fix it," Mary Margaret said.

"I think vinegar should get that stain out," Belle replied. "It'll be okay."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"This sucks," Emma pouted as she adjusted her red cape.

"It's not that bad," Ruby exclaimed as she smoothed out the fabric of her red riding cloak. "Especially for only a day's notice.

Emma sighed as she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. After being unable to save the princess dress she decided to go as Supergirl, which actually wasn't hard to pull off (red skirt, 'S" logo ironed on a long sleeved blue t-shirt, red boots courtesy of Ruby.) But even though she managed to pull it off, she was still upset with what had happened to her original costume.

"I hate Regina," she muttered.

"Hey, I'm all for hating on Miss. Bitch. But it really was an accident. It wasn't her fault," Ruby stated.

"Whatever," Emma said in frustration.

The two of them walked out of the bathroom, where they saw none other than Regina herself, coming down the hall dressed in an elaborate purple gown with a plunging neckline and a high backed collar. Emma tried not notice how hot and regal the girl looked (or stare at her ample cleavage) as she asked, "What are you supposed to be?"

"A queen," Regina replied as if Emma was a simpleton.

"More like an evil queen," Ruby replied.

"Least I'm not a walking advertisement for someone's youthful indiscretion?" she sneered before practically gliding away majestically.

"She really is a bitch. How the hell can she even afford such an amazing costume?" Ruby asked.

"She has money," Emma simply replied, well aware that Regina had the kind of funds one would need to buy an elaborate Halloween costume.

"Well, whatever. Let's not let her ruin tonight for us. We're going to have a great time."

They went to Emma's room and opened the door, seeing Mary Margaret pulling on her brown leather boots. "Come on, the dance has already started."

"I'm almost ready. Besides, Belle isn't here yet."

"She had some things to do beforehand, so she's meeting us at the dance," Ruby explained. "She's probably already there."

"Okay, I'm coming." Mary Margaret gave herself a quick one over in the mirror before exiting the room and following her friends down the hall.

"That really is a bad ass princess costume," Ruby stated. "You look like Katniss Everdeen's ancestor. Especially with the wig."

"Thanks. Though again, I'm a bandit," Mary Margaret replied, adjusting her long brown fake hair.

The three of them left Mifflin and walked through the campus until they got to the main gym, where people in various costumes were walking into the building. They made their way inside, checking the place out. Various Halloween decorations adorned the walls, and a band of people dressed as mummies were playing instruments on a stage.

"Belle!" Rudy called out, spotting her friend by the snack table.

"Hey guys," she said as she made her way over to the girls.

"How do you walk in that thing?" Emma asked, since Belle was practically waddling in the giant domed fabric made to resemble a bell.

"Very carefully," she exclaimed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"This is fun," Kathryn said, squeezing David's arm as they walked throughout the gym.

"Yeah, real fun," David said, trying not to make it obvious that he was trying to see if Mary Margaret decided to come or not.

"So, I did good?" Kathryn asked, indicating the prince outfit she had picked out for her boyfriend.

"What? Oh, the outfit, yeah, it's great. And again, you look lovely."

"Thank you," she said, self-consciously smoothing out her blue princess dress. Kathryn looked at David, frowning at the fact that his attention seemed to be else ware. She wasn't an idiot. She was aware that things had been rough for them, particularly since they went off to college. She hoped this weekend would be a good way to rekindle what they had when they first started dating. But ever since she had arrived she felt like there was a distance between them, that couldn't be filled no matter how hard she tried.

"I really like your school," she told him. "Your campus is much nicer than mine. I might seriously think about transferring here next year. Then we can go to school together."

"What?" he said in surprise. "You'd want to go here?"

"It's just a thought," she said, a little sad by his less than enthusiastic reaction. She then blushed as her stomach loudly growled in hunger. They made their way to the snack table, looking at the chips and cookies available. "I need actual food, not snack food."

"The cafeteria is still serving late night grill food for another hour," David suggested. "Let's go and get you something."

"I'll go. You stay here and enjoy the dance."

"You sure?" David asked.

"Yes," she replied, needing a bit of time by herself to think things over. David gave Kathryn his student id so she could use his meal plan before she set off to get something to eat.

David sighed as he watched Kathryn leave the gym. So far things hadn't been great since she had arrived. He knew she was trying to remind them of the good times they had, and had brought up a bunch of pictures of them from high school to remind him of it. But the more time they spent together the more suffocated he felt.

 _I'm going to do it tonight after the dance_ , he thought, deciding it was best to finally get it over with. _It's unfair to keep dragging this out._

He then looked out onto the dance floor, where his heart skipped a beat at the sight before him. Mary Margaret was there, chatting with a blonde girl dressed as Supergirl. Before he could even remind himself that Kathryn would be back soon his feet brought him over to the two of them. "Hey."

"David," Mary Margaret replied in surprise. She looked at him for a moment before saying, "Oh, right. This is my roommate Emma. Emma, this is David."

"Nice to meet you," David said, finally able to put a face to one of the roommates Mary Margaret had talked about.

"Mary Margaret has told me a lot about you. Not all good things I must say," Emma replied. She rolled her eyes at off the look her friend was giving her. "Alright fine, I'll give you two some space."

He waited for Emma to leave before telling Mary Margaret, "I like your bandit costume.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "Most people think I'm a mountain woman or such."

"That could work also, especially with the arsenal," he said, indicating the bow and quiver of real arrows she had strapped to her back. "Where'd you even get those?"

"My archery teacher let me use them as long as I promised to have them back by tomorrow." She couldn't help smiling as she took in his outfit. "And you came as Prince Charming."

"Kathryn picked it out, so I think it's just a prince outfit. But I'll settle for being Prince Charming."

The smile left her face at the mention of Kathryn. "Your girlfriend, right." She sighed before saying, "What are we doing? We can't keep doing this. Seeing each other like this."

"I know. It's wrong. But we keep running into each other and…I like you," he said in a way that left no doubt he wasn't simply talking about friendship.

"And I like you," she replied.

They looked at each other for a moment before suddenly kissing each other, holding onto one another as weeks of built up passion irrupted out of them.

"YOU BASTARD!"

The two of them pulled apart as Kathryn stood in front of them, seething in rage. The room suddenly became quiet as the band stopped playing and everyone paid attention to the unfolding scene. "Kathryn…" David weakly said.

Kathryn pushed David backwards before slapping Mary Margaret, silencing her feeble attempts at apologizing. "Hey!" David instinctively said. "Don't hit her."

"Why? Why should I show either of you any consideration at all!" Kathryn yelled. "You've clearly shown none for me! We've been together for over a year and suddenly you're with someone else! You've been leading me along all this time and you were with someone else!" With that she fled out of the gym, with David running after her. Neither of them noticed Regina by the entrance, who had been watching the entire scene critically.

"Kathryn, wait!" David called out to her.

Kathryn stopped running and forced herself to look at David. "How long?" she asked him tearfully. "How long have you been seeing her?"

"We haven't been seeing each other."

"You liar!" she said close to hysterics.

"It's true! That was the first time we kissed. I swear."

"But you were interested in her, weren't you?" she tearfully asked him. She scoffed as the look on his face gave her the answer. "I knew it. I knew was something going on."

"Kathryn…" David said as he knew the moment he had been putting off had finally arrived. "We need to talk."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina walked into her room, rolling her eyes at seeing Mary Margaret sobbing on her bed. She kept silent as she changed out of her costume into lounge wear before finally saying, "You're having a bad day."

"Regina, not now," Mary Margaret said, a tone of real warning in her voice.

"Though not nearly as bad of a day as that poor girl is having. She was quite devastated when you kissed her boyfriend."

Mary Margaret frowned for a moment before it clicked together. "You saw me at the dance. Me, David and Kathryn."

"Yes. Me and apparently a good portion of the school saw your little show." She frowned at Mary Margaret before saying, "Stay away from him."

"Excuse me," Mary Margaret said in surprise.

"He's with someone else. Someone who loves him. The two of you, you don't belong together."

"I…how is this any of your business?"

"It's my business to keep two people in love together! When people love each other they should stay together! Instead of being ripped apart forever!"

The two girls looked at each other, both shocked by Regina's outburst. Regina took a step back, trying to piece together what had brought this about. She didn't care what happened between the three of them. But when she saw that girl heartbroken over losing the person she loved, it had filled her with rage.

She was then snapped out of her thoughts as a knock was heard from outside. Regina opened the door, where she was surprised by who was on the other side. "Can I help you?"

"Is this Mary Margaret's room?"

Mary Margaret got up and walked to the door as she recognized that voice. "Kathryn?"

Before Mary Margaret or Regina could stop her Kathryn walked into their room and set down a suitcase and the garment bag that held her costume. "David and I broke up."

"Oh…" Mary Margaret stammered. "I'm so sorry."

"I bet you are," Kathryn sarcastically replied. "The next bus doesn't run until tomorrow morning. So I'm sleeping here for the night."

"What?" Mary Margaret and Regina both said at the same time. Both roommates shared a look before Mary Margaret said to Kathryn, "I don't think that's a good idea considering everything that's happened."

"You're literally the only other person I know here. And as much as I hate you, right now I hate David even more. So deal with it."

Reluctantly Mary Margaret nodded in agreement, since the girl had nowhere else to spend the night. "Fine. Let me just…" She dug through her closet and pulled out a small inflatable air mattress. The three women spent the next ten minutes in extremely uncomfortable silence as they waited for the mattress to blow up.

As soon as the mattress was blown up Mary Margaret gave Kathryn a blanket and one of the pillows from her bed. "If you need anything else…have a good night," she said as she got into her own bed, hoping Emma didn't wake them whenever she gave back. Regina shook her head and scoffed at this turn of events before turning off the light so the three of them could go to bed and put this night behind them.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Mary Margaret opened her eyes as she heard movement in the room. _I hate being such a light sleeper_ , she thought. She sat up in bed before letting out a small squeak at seeing the person up was Kathryn.

Kathryn looked at Mary Margaret as she readied to leave. She walked to the door before saying to her, "Can I talk to you in the hall?"

Mary Margaret nervously nodded her head and followed the girl outside, severely tempted to wake Emma so someone could rescue her if things turned violent (she might be overreacting, but she did just kiss the girl's boyfriend in front of her.) Once they were outside she immediately said, "Kathryn, I'm so sorry-"

"Stop talking and listen to me," Kathryn said sternly. "I spent most of last night thinking about this. And while I hate to admit it, things haven't been good between David and me for quite some time. I'm not letting you off the hook, because what you two did was terrible. But after thinking over what I chose to ignore about the two of us, I don't think it would have lasted." She sighed in frustration as she readied herself to continue. "While we were breaking up I asked him if he liked you, and he admitted he's crazy about you. So if you really care for him, don't stop seeing him because me and him didn't work out."

Mary Margaret looked at Kathryn in surprise, since she didn't expect the girl to tell her to be with her ex-boyfriend. "Thank you," she said as she stepped in to hug her.

"Don't," Kathryn said sternly as she held up her hands to stop Mary Margaret. "I said you could be with him. That doesn't mean I want us to be friends."

"Right," Mary Margaret replied, feeling foolish.

"Goodbye," Kathryn simply said before she picked up her bags and walked down the hall towards the elevator. Mary Margaret watched her get into the elevator before taking the stairs to the fourth floor and knocking on room 410. She waited until the door opened and a bewildered David looked at her. "Hi."

"Hi yourself," he said to her. "About last night-"

"I know you and Kathryn broke up last night. She ended up sleeping in my room because she had nowhere else to go and she told me."

"Oh," he said, feeling guilty that she had been put in that position. "Sorry."

"Anyway, before she left this morning she actually told me to be with you if we like each other."

"She said that?"

"Yup," Mary Margaret replied, not sure how they should proceed. "We should probably give each other some space for a little while."

"Right," he agreed with her. "That's probably the smart thing to do."

They looked at each other before suddenly grabbing each other and kissing with as much passion as they possessed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I don't even know why I reacted like that," Regina said as she finished telling Dr. Hopper about what had happened on Halloween. "I don't care what the hell Mary Margaret does. And I didn't even know that other girl, at least until she spent the night. Which was the most awkward thing ever. But when I saw them in the gym I was just so angry."

"I see," Dr. Hopper replied. "Could it be that you were angry because you're concerned for your roommate?"

"I told you, I don't care what she does," she stated, frustrated that he kept harping on thinking she cared about her roommate. "That's why I don't know why I told her to stay away from that idiot."

"You said you told her people in love should be together and not torn apart," Dr. Hopper said. "Could your feelings of anger have had anything with Daniel?"

Regina blinked her eyes tightly, wishing she hadn't told her therapist about her boyfriend's death. "What does one have to do with the other?" she asked.

"It's just a thought. But you're still working through your boyfriend dying and leaving you. So it's possible that seeing Kathryn upset over losing her boyfriend brought up those feelings. And that's why you told Mary Margaret to stay away. So you could try and stop another girl from going through the heartbreak of losing someone that you went through."

Regina closed her eyes tightly as she thought that one over, feeling it strangely made sense. Though if it was true it meant she was even more messed up then she thought if other people's problems could trigger such an intense reaction out of her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Mary Margaret smiled as she snuggled down into her mattress, feeling better then she had in a long time. Her smile grew even bigger at seeing David in bed next to her, propped up on one elbow "What are you thinking about?" he asked as he kissed her.

"That I have class in about an hour."

"What are you really thinking about?" he asked as he leaned over her and deepened their kissing.

"Of how much we can do in that hour," she said with a grin as they ran their hands over each other's bare bodies.

Without warning the door suddenly opened, causing them to pull the sheets over themselves as Emma walked in. "The school store's out of cliff bars so…" she trailed off as she looked at the two of them, shocked at what she had just walked in on.

"You said you'd be back later," Mary Margaret said sheepishly.

"I was gone for less than fifteen minutes," Emma said in disbelief. "You could have put the sign on the door…or a sock or texted or something. So…next time do that." She shook her head as she left the room, pausing to put the agreed upon 'do now disturb' sign on the knob.

"I think we just traumatized her," David said, causing the two of them to laugh over what had just transpired.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma groaned as she came back from dinner and saw the damn sign on the door. _This again_ , she thought. _First Regina with Graham, now Mary Margaret with David_. She went to the lounge at the end of the hall, where she saw Regina sitting on the couch reading a book. "They kicked you out to?"

"Clearly," Regina replied in frustration. She glared at Emma as she sat on the other end of the couch and turned on the TV. She was about to ask her to turn it down when Emma lower the volume on her own. She looked at her for a moment, surprised that her feelings were taken into account, before going back to her book.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma tried to hide her frustration as she left the housing office and went back to her room. She had asked if she could stay in her room for Thanksgiving, since technically the dorms were closed for major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. But they told her they couldn't make any exceptions, even after she stressed that she had nowhere else to go. _I can't wait to live in a townhouse next year_ , she thought, since townhouse residences could remain in their houses for holidays.

She made it to the room and walked in, finding Mary Margaret and David lying in bed (thankfully fully clothes) watching TV. "Is everything okay?" Mary Margaret asked at seeing the look on her friend's face.

"I just asked if I could stay here for Thanksgiving and they said no because the close the building for holidays."

"I'm sorry," David said.

"That's really inconsiderate of them," Mary Margaret reiterated, well aware that Emma didn't have a permanent home outside of school. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. They said I could stay with someone in one of the townhouses. But I don't know anyone to ask."

"If I was going home I'd invite you to my place," Mary Margaret said. "But I'm going to David's for thanksgiving."

"Isn't that kind of soon?" Emma asked, since the two of them had been together for not even a full month.

"My mom wants to meet her," David said with a shrug, squeezing his girlfriend's shoulder as they shared a nauseatingly sweet look.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma sat in the lounge, honestly not sure what to do. Thanksgiving was in two days and she still had no idea where she was going to go. It had gotten to the point where she had looked into homeless shelters in the neighborhood.

"Hey," Ruby said as she came in and joined Emma on the couch. "I've been looking for you."

"Well, you found me."

"You want to come to my place for Thanksgiving?"

"What?" Emma asked, sure she had misheard her.

"I asked Granny, and she said it was fine. You'll have to pitch in at the diner if you want to stay in her good graces, but other than that-"

"Ruby, thank you," Emma happily said. "I don't know where I would have gone if you…thank you."

"No problem, that's what friends are for."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma and Ruby arrived at Ruby's the evening before Thanksgiving, where Emma finally met her infamous Granny. The woman was stern and didn't take any guff, but that didn't hide the fact that she was also kind hearted and caring. She had prepared the guest room for Emma before they even arrived, and inquired on how she liked school.

The next day the three of them opened the diner Granny owned, where both girls were promptly put to work waiting tables. It was stressful, especially with the pre-holiday rush of people who didn't want to cook. But overall Emma got the hang of it. Granny even said she could hire Emma if she ever needed a job.

After closing the doors to customers at 5pm Granny served the three of them Thanksgiving dinner. "Before we eat," Granny explained to Emma, "everyone at the table goes around around and says what they are thankful for. I'm thankful that Ruby is doing well in school, and has made a good friend," she said kindly to the two girls. "I'm thankful to have my health. And I'm thankful business is good, and people still prefer good old fashioned cooking over gimmicky fad restaurants."

"Okay, my turn." Ruby stated as she raised her glass. "I'm thankful to have you in my life Granny, especially when we weren't sure if you'd still be here," she said, referring to the heart attack Granny had had two years earlier. "I'm thankful that you took me in and stuck by me, especially after giving you so much grief growing up."

"Don't I know it," Granny stated, causing Emma to chuckle and Ruby to roll her eyes over that.

"And, I'm grateful to have found and made such good friends at school, particularly you Emma, Belle, and Mary Margaret."

Emma awkwardly stood up as she raised her own glass. "I'm really not good at this, but here it goes. I'm grateful I have friends in my life that I can truly count on, during both good times and bad times. I'm grateful to be in school, which has pretty much become home to me. And…I'm grateful to be here," she finished as she sat down and they began serving dinner.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"That dinner was amazing. Your granny is a great cook."

"She really is," Ruby said as the two of them watched TV in Ruby's room.

The two of them flicked through channels before Emma decided to ask Ruby something she had been curious about for a while. "Can I ask you something? What happened to your parents?"

Ruby bristled at the question; since it wasn't a topic she liked addressing. But, if there was someone who would get abandoned parent issues, it would be Emma. "I never knew my dad. He left before I was born. And my mom, she didn't really want to raise a kid either. When I was seven she asked Granny to watch me while she went to get milk or something. She left, and never came back."

Emma's eyes widened at hearing that, wondering if it worse for Ruby to have known her mother before the woman abandoned her. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well…Granny ended up raising me as if I was her daughter. I love her dearly for it. Though as I said at dinner, I didn't make it easy for her. I would sneak out, date people she didn't approve of. And those were just the ones she knew about. Then when I was sixteen she had a heart attack, and I was so afraid I would lose her, and she would die thinking I was just a screw up. After she was back on her feet I managed to shape up, which is probably why I was able to go to college. So, she means a great deal to me."

"I'm glad you have her," Emma said. "It's important to have an adult in your live who loves you, and gives you a place to call home."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Emma!" Mary Margaret said as she hugged her friend. "How was Thanksgiving? Did you have fun at Ruby's?"

"It was good," Emma said as she set her bag down. "I helped out at her grandmother's diner and then we ate. Then we went to the mall the next day, which is crazy on black Friday. How was yours?"

"Really good. David's mom loved me."

"No surprise there. You're the kind of girl most mothers would want their daughter dating."

The door opened as Regina walked in. "Hi Regina," Mary Margaret said. "How was your Thanksgiving?"

"Fine," Regina dully said. It was a complete lie of course. She spent half her trip home fighting with her mother over everything and anything, and the other half crying in her room over the fact that her father wasn't there for Thanksgiving. But she wasn't going to delve into any of that with her roommates.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 _What's wrong with me_ , Regina thought as she lay awake in bed that night _. Everything is so raw and emotional now. Why am I like this?_

 _It's Dr. Hopper_ , she thought. _Ever since I started therapy with him I feel like I've been getting worse._

She thought seeing him would be like when she saw her first therapist, Dr. Thompson. She saw her during the last few months of her senior year of high school. Those sessions had been soothing and somewhat low key. The woman focused on simply how she was doing day to day, and didn't have her delve too deep into the huge loses she had suffered. It allowed her to be more guarded, and keep her deepest secrets in check. Unlike Dr. Hopper, who seemed to force it all up to the surface to the point where it lingered afterwards.

In the relatively short time she had begun seeing the man he had managed to get her to talk about Daniel's death and how she blamed her mother for it. He had even managed to get enough out of her to know her father was also dead. She hated that he could pull this information out of her. But she still clung to her deepest secret, something she had never willingly told anyone. Something that if revealed would prove she was indeed an evil person, who was beyond forgiveness and redemption.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I can't believe they already put up Christmas decorations," Belle said as she and Ruby paid for their food and looked for a place to sit. "It feels like we just got back from Thanksgiving."

"Christmas isn't that far away," Ruby stated. "Granny had me and Emma help decorate the diner before we came back."

"Belle, Ruby! Over here!" Mary Margaret called out as she spotted the girls. The two of them made their way through the cafeteria and sat down at the table, which was occupied by their friend and Ashley.

"How's it going?" Belle asked the two of them.

"It's going okay," Ashley said before looking at Ruby. "Would you be able to switch shifts so I can have Friday off? My boyfriend Sean wants to take me out and he had a huge paper due next week that he needs to work on over the weekend, so Friday night is the only time he's free."

"Sure, that's not a problem," Ruby said. "I'm working tonight so I'll just tell them you're working my Thursday shift and I'm working your Friday shift."

"Thank a lot," Ashley said happily.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Can I talk to you for a minute," Mary Margaret asked Emma.

"Sure. What's up?"

"I know it's a bit early. But I talked to my parents, and they said they were fine with you coming home for Christmas break. So, if you want to, you're welcome to come."

"I can stay with you for Christmas break?" Emma asked, afraid she was dreaming and would wake up at any moment.

"Yeah. I mean, I know you can't stay in the dorms. And I feel bad at not having been able to have offered for Thanksgiving. It'll be fun."

"Mary Margaret, thank you. You have no idea what that means to me."

"No problem," Mary Margaret replied with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm really nervous," Emma said, practically pacing Arial's room. They had taken their first final for the semester earlier in the day and was waiting for the results to be posted. She was especially nervous because it was for her hardest class, and if she did bad on the final it would lower her GPA and endanger her scholarship.

"You'll do fine," Arial said. "You had it when we quizzed each other. I'm the one who should be worried. I blindly guessed on at least five questions and didn't have time to get everything I wanted into the essay." She refreshed the page again before stiffening. "They just posted the grades." She batted Emma out of the way as she scanned the screen. "81. I can live with that."

"Come on, come on," Emma said as she ran her finger down the screen until she came to her name. "Emma Swan. 95."

"That's great," Arial said. "I told you not to worry.

Emma sighed deeply, happy for this piece of news. She still had four more finales to take over the next week and a half. But at least she had gotten her hardest class out of the way. That made her feel good.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"You don't know anything!" Regina screamed at Dr. Hopper. "She killed Daniel! He would be alive today if it wasn't for her!"

Dr. Hopper sighed deeply, trying to think of how to calm Regina down. It was their last therapy session before she went home for Christmas, and it was becoming a real emotional one. When he had inquired about what she would be doing during the break she became very defensive. Then when he asked if it had to do with her mother it morphed into her again addressing the fact that she blamed her mom for Daniel's death. And she was not taking his suggestion to forgive her well at all.

"Regina, I know it's easy to blame her over what happened. But what happened to Daniel was a terrible accident, that's all."

"No, it's her fault! If she hadn't kicked Daniel out he never would have been driving!"

"Yes, he may not have been on the road when that storm hit. But she didn't intent for him to be out there. And it sounds like she feels terrible over the fact that he died. I know it's hard for you. But forgiving her would go a long way towards healing. Both the rift between you and your mother, and the pain you've carried inside you."

Regina sat back down on the couch, shaking as his words resonated through her. "I can't forgive her. I just can't."

"I know it's hard. But if you tried you would-"

"No you don't get it. If I can forgive her for what she did then I would have to forgive myself. And I can't do that," Regina stated.

"Forgive yourself?" Dr. Hopper asked in confusion.

"Never mind, just forget it."

"No wait. What do you mean forgive yourself? Do you blame yourself for Daniel's death?"

"NO! I blame-" She snapped her mouth shut, fighting with herself to keep her darkest secret from bursting out.

"What is it?" Dr. Hopper asked. "What do you blame yourself for?"

"I can't…I can't say it."

"Why not?"

"Because…because I'm evil. I did an evil unforgivable thing that I need to be punished for. I deserve this pain. It's my punishment for what I did."

"Regina, whatever you did, it can't be as bad as you think it is. What could possibly make you think you're such a terrible person?"

Regina struggled to keep it inside, but after keeping it hidden for so long she couldn't keep it in anymore. Before she could stop herself she tearfully confessed, "Because I killed my father."

 **Author's note: I apologize for the long wait between chapters. I'm going to try and be more diligent in updating. Starting with this chapter I plan on having time move more quickly within the chapters, since I plan on this fic covering four years and not even two months passed within the first seven chapters. Also, now that Mary Margaret and David are FINALLY together more focus will be spend on Emma and Regina going forward.**


	9. Chapter 9

Regina looked at Dr. Hopper, expecting him to yell at her and call her evil over what she had just told him. But instead he simply said, "I see."

"That's all you have to say?" she cried in disbelief.

"I'd like you to clarify exactly what you meant before forming an opinion regarding this info. Are you saying this was premeditated? That you took a gun and shot your father?"

Regina cried out in rage as she stood up and threw a paperweight at Dr. Hopper's desk, where it hit and shattered a glass clock and his cricket figurine. "I loved my father, you sadistic monster! I would never have intentionally hurt him!"

"Regina, please calm down," Dr. Hopper sternly asked as he also stood up. "It's not my intention to upset you. But I need to know exactly what you meant by saying you killed your father." Dr. Hopper sat back down in his chair as Regina reluctantly plopped back down on the couch. He waited a few moments for her to calm down before asking, "Do you think you would be able to tell me what happened? Without letting things get violent?"

Regina glanced at the wall clock before telling him, "We don't have time. Our session's over in a few minutes."

"Excuse me for a moment," Dr. Hopper said as he exited the office. Regina's eyes darted around the room, trying to focus on anything besides the emotional storm that was erupting inside of her. She looked at the window and actually considering climbing out it and running away _. I'm sure Emma would have done that_ , she thought, which for some reason actually caused her to chuckle at that thought.

"I just spoke with my receptionist," Dr. Hopper told her as he came back into the room. "And she informed me my next appointment isn't scheduled for two hours, so I can extend today's session."

"You don't have to do that," she quickly said, since she wanted an excuse not to delve into that painful memory. "We can just end today's session as normal."

"After what you just told me I feel it's best if we continue. It's important that we work through this and not let it fester. And you leaving just after telling me this, and then the two of us not seeing one another for three weeks, would not be helpful at all. I'm not going to force you to talk, but I would very much like to know what happened to your father and why you blame yourself."

Regina swallowed down the lump in her throat, contemplating how to proceed. She had never told this to anyone, and was afraid of what revealing her secret would do. And she meant what she said. What she did was unforgivable, and she deserved to feel the pain her actions had caused.

But another part of her remembered why she started coming here, which was to try and get better. And unburdening herself of this secret might just do that.

Before she could stop herself she nodded her head and began to tell him her story. "It happened a month after Daniel's death. After his funeral I spent all my time lying in my bed, refusing to come out of my room for anything. All I did was cry and blame my mother over what had happened. Then one evening…my father came in." She blinked back tears as the memories flooded up through her.

 _Regina clutched a pillow against herself as she heard a light knock at the door. "Regina, it's your father. Can I come in?" He waited a few moments before turning the knob and walking into her room. "How are you today?" He looked at her sadly, able to guess she was doing the same as she had yesterday. Tentatively he sat down at the edge of her bed. "We're having chicken tacos for dinner," he said hopefully, since she loved those. He gently rubbed her shoulder as he said, "I know how difficult this has been. And you do whatever you need to while you mourn. But it would mean a lot to your mother if you came down for dinner tonight instead of eating in your room."_

" _I don't want to see her," Regina said as she sat up and looked at her father. "I hate her Daddy."_

" _I know you don't mean that," he said gently._

" _Yes I do. She killed Daniel. If she hadn't thrown him out of the house he wouldn't have been driving during that storm and he wouldn't have died."_

" _Regina, your mother didn't make him leave because she wanted to harm him. She insisted that he leave because she walked in on her teenage daughter in bed with her boyfriend and reacted strongly to it. If I had been the one to come home instead of her I would have insisted he have left also."_

 _Regina thought about that, never having considered that before. She sighed deeply, not wanting to have a reason to let her mother off the hook for her involvement in Daniel's death. "She never liked Daniel. She always said we were moving too fast and I could do better than him. She probably secretly loves that he's gone."_

" _Regina," her father said patiently, "I know you're in pain, but you have to stop villainizing your mother over this. She isn't some evil fairy tale character. She feels terrible over what happened, and hates that you're in so much pain."_

" _Then why hasn't she said anything?"_

" _Have you given her a chance to?" her father wisely asked._

 _Regina shuttered at that remark, knowing there was truth to it. "I'm not going to force you to come down for dinner," her father continued. "But I think it would be helpful if you got out of here for a bit and ate with us tonight. You don't even have to say anything, you can just eat and then come back up here. But if you're up for it, we would love for you to join us."_

" _I'll think about it," Regina simply said._

" _Okay." Henry squeezed her shoulder gently before standing up. "I have to run out and get a light bulb for the living room. Is there anything you need while I'm out?"_

" _Could you get me an ice cream sundae from Carmen's?" she tentatively asked._

" _Of course I can. Though I can't remember what kind you like. Is it cookie dough and sprinkles?"_

" _No," she said with a slight grin, the two of them having played this game every time she got a Carmen's sundae._

" _Is it strawberry and hot fudge?"_

" _Rocky road and caramel sauce," she told him._

" _That's right," he said, acting as if he had forgotten. "Thanks for reminding me. I'll be back in a little bit. See you late."_

 _Regina lightly chuckled as her father left, for a moment actually feeling a little better. Her father always had a way of getting through to her, in a way that no one else could. That's why she had a special place in her heart for her daddy. She loved him, and knew he would always be there for her._

 _She sighed as she lay back down, clutching her pillow as she closed her eyes._

 _XXXXXXXXXXXX_

 _Regina opened her eyes as she heard loud knocking. She looked around, noticing it was now dark outside, before looking at her bedside clock, seeing well over two hours had passed since her father had seen her. She opened her door and tiptoed to the hallway banister, looking over the railing to see her mother approach the front door and open it, revealing two police officers. "Can I help you?"_

" _Are you Cora Mills?" the shorter of the two asked._

" _Yes. Is there a problem?"_

" _I'm officer Pheiffer, and this is my partner officer Chase. I'm sorry to tell you this, but there was a robbery tonight at Carmen's ice cream parlor."_

" _What does this have to do with me?" Cora asked, fear growing inside of her._

" _The gunman shot at the customers in the establishment as he fled. And sadly one of the victims died before paramedics could arrive on the scene."_

" _No…" Cora sadly cried, already working out what they were about to tell her._

" _We identified the victim as Henry Mills, your husband."_

" _No, no no no," she cried, collapsing against the door frame._

" _We need you to come to the morgue to identify the body," Officer Chase gently said. "I'm sorry, but it's procedure."_

 _Cora nodded her head as she grabbed her purse and tearfully followed the officers, not noticing her daughter upstairs, who had witnessed the whole thing. Regina sank to the floor, tears streaming down her face as she curled into herself and began to cry over the loss of her daddy._

Regina wiped the tears from her face as she finished talking. She couldn't go on anymore. The funeral, the sympathy and taunts she received afterwards. She could go into that another time. Right now she was too drained to continue.

She didn't even notice the tissue in front of her until she saw Dr. Hopper holding it out for her. She gratefully took it from him and wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "I'm so sorry Regina," he kindly said to her.

"They should have blamed me," she said in a small voice.

"Excuse me?"

"My mom and sister. They should have blamed me for what happened. They correctly guessed Daddy went to Carmen's to get me ice cream. And they said it's not my fault. But he was there because of me. I sent him there. He was shot because of me. I killed my father."

"Regina," Dr. Hopper gently replied. "This isn't your fault at all. You couldn't have known what would have happened."

"That doesn't matter. He only went there because I asked him to. He'd still be alive today if not for me."

"What happened to your father isn't your fault at all. The only person who's to blame is the gunman who robbed that store and shot your father. Not you."

"But he was there because of me. I'm to blame for him dying."

"No you're not. What happened was terrible. From the way you talk about him, your father seemed like a good man. And it's a tragedy that he was taken from you and your family like that. But he wouldn't have wanted you to torture yourself like this. He'd want you to accept his passing and move on."

"Are you saying I should forget about him?" she angrily asked, an instant from throwing more things at his desk or even his face.

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all. You should never forget about your father. Or Daniel. You should keep them in your heart always. But allowing the pain you've carried inside of you to control you isn't what they would have wanted. They want you to live your life. To find happiness again."

Regina looked down at her lap, pulling her arms into herself. "What if I can't? What is I'm just broken?"

"I don't think that's the case. Just from our few sessions you seem to have a very resilient heart. You just need to allow yourself to heal. Start by forgiving yourself. Then by forgiving your mother."

"I'm…I've carried it inside of me for so long…I'm not sure I can do that."

"I know it's not easy Regina. But forgiveness heals us. It allows us to expel the guild and pain we have within us. If you can do that, you're start to be better."

Dr. Hopper looked at the clock, seeing an hour and a half had passed since she began to tell her story. "I am sorry, but I'm afraid our time is up for today."

Regina nodded her head as she got up from the couch. "I guess I'll see you next year then," she said with a sad laugh. "My father always used to say that to people he wasn't going to see until after new year's."

"Yes, that seems like a very dad joke. Take care Regina. I'll see you at our next session."

Dr. Hopper waited for her to leave before closing the office door. He went over to his desk, carefully cleaning up the broken glass from her outburst. He guessed she would be emotionally raw over the next few days, and might even have a couple of outbursts. But he hoped that today's session would go towards her accepting the two great losses in her life, and allowing herself to begin to truly heal from them.

 **Author's note: this chapter was shorter then most of the others have been. But I didn't want to leave it on that cliffhanger for too long, so I just included the rest of Regina's therapy session.**

 **Second author's note: while I generally don't rewrite story content, as it feels very George Lucus Star Wars like, I changed a bit of dialogue from my original posting after a reviewer pointed out a discrepancy from a previous chapter (originally Regina said her mother and sister has no idea why Henry was at the ice cream parlor the night he died, while earlier her mother said she didn't blame Regina for Henry Sr's death.) It was changed to Cora and Zelena guessing he went to get Regina ice cream, so there's not a continuity error.**

 **As always reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	10. Chapter 10

"Mary Margaret!" Eva cried out as she opened the front door and hugged her daughter. "How are you?"

"I'm good mom," Mary Margaret replied as she gently pulled back. "You remember Emma, right?" she asked, gesturing to her roommate by her side.

"Yes of course, we met when I was up for parents' weekend," Eva stated as she gestured to the two girls. "Well come in, let's get out of the cold. How was the drive here?"

"Not bad," Mary Margaret said as Emma glanced at some framed family photographs on the nearby wall. "Though Emma's car had some trouble making it up a few of the steeper roads."

"It got us here, didn't it," Emma said defensively, since she was quite protective of her bug.

"Is Dad home?" Mary Margaret asked her mother.

"He'll be home later tonight. He's taking off from work Christmas Eve until the day after New Year's Day, so he's going to be working late tonight," she informed the two of them. "How are things with your boyfriend?"

"David's good," Mary Margaret replied, blushing as she often did when talking about him. "He said he might come by to visit for a day during break."

"Wonderful. I can't wait to meet him," her mother happily replied.

"Okay, we're going to go to my room and put our stuff away," Mary Margaret said.

"Alright. Emma, I guessing you'll be sleeping in Mary Margaret's room. If you want your own space I'll put fresh sheets on the sofa bed in the den for you."

"I'm fine wherever," Emma said, not wanting to be a burden. "I'm just happy to be here."

"Okay," Eva said with a frown, put off by Emma's vagueness. "If you need anything just ask."

"We will," Mary Margaret stated. She and Emma walked up two flights of stairs and went into the last room down the hall. "Here we are."

"Not bad," Emma said as she took in the various knickknacks and objects one has to personalize a bedroom. She noticed a framed high school diploma and tassel on the wall, next to a framed picture of Mary Margaret in a graduation cap and gown standing next to three similarly dressed girls. "Friends of yours?"

"What?" Mary Margaret asked as she set her bag on top of her bed, before she saw that Emma was talking about her graduation picture. "Oh, yeah, my high school crew. Katie, Jenna, and the one on my left is Lisa. I haven't seen them at all since the end of summer. I should see if they're back home for break. We can all try to get together."

"Yeah sure," Emma said vaguely, since she wasn't sure how well she'd fit in with Mary Margaret's high school friends. She looked around, noticing a certain poster next to the bed. "Is that a Boy Meets World poster?"

"Shut up," Mary Margaret said, a bit embarrassed over her childhood obsession. "It's a good show. I used to watch reruns all the time on Disney Channel as a kid. And I thought Shawn was dreamy."

Emma chuckled over that one before stating, "Yeah alright, I can see that."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Regina lay on top of her childhood bed, staring up at the ceiling. She had arrived home from school this afternoon, taking a cab straight from the bus station to the mansion. Her mother was still at work when she arrived at the empty house. So she called to tell her she was home before going to her room to mull over her thoughts.

She ran over in her head her last session with Dr. Hopper, particularly about forgiving herself for her father's death, and her mother for Daniel's. She was torn between what to do. Despite what her therapist had told her, a part of her still felt she deserved the pain she felt as punishment for what she had done. But there was another part of her that truly felt she should forgive both herself and her mother for what had happened. That if she did it would lift the burden inside of her and allow her to finally move forward.

 _Can I really do it_ , she thought _. Forgive her and myself?_ On the surface it seemed so easy. But it was something she had agonized over ever since that therapy session. She was actually shocked to learn she had aced her last final, since when she took it all she could focus on was that session. She had analyzed every part from every angle, and still she was conflicted on what to do and how to do it. She couldn't even decide if it was going to be easier to forgive her mother or to forgive herself.

She snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the front door open, signaling that her mother was home. She waited as she heard footsteps come up the stairs, not sure if she wanted to see her mother right now or not. The decision was taken out of her hands once she heard a knock at her door. "Regina, it's your mother." Without waiting for an invite the door opened and her mother walked in. "I need to talk to you," she said seriously.

"Okay," Reina said as she pushed herself up against the headboard, able to tell her mother was not pleased.

"I'm letting you know right now that this, is no longer acceptable," Cora stated as she waved her hand at Regina. "Barricading yourself in your room and never coming out. Between that and screaming at me over every little thing, Thanksgiving was a disaster. I won't have it again."

"But mother-" Regina began.

"No!" Cora yelled, cutting her daughter off. "You're not the only one whose been dealing with this. I lost my husband. And Zelena also lost her father. His death has been hard for all of us. But you've had over a year to grieve. And unlike you we're tried to move on with our lives, or at least have put on brave faces in front of others. So I'm telling you right now you're not going to spend all your time in your room this Christmas, and you're certainly not going to snap at me over every little thing. Cousin Clara and her family are coming here tomorrow, and then we're having a party on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, where a lot of family members, friends, and my work colleagues will be here. And I expect you to be the perfect hostess over the holidays. Polite, courteous, and above all _civil_."

"Like Zelena," Regina said under her breath.

"Yes, like your sister," Cora replied, having caught Regina's remark. "Speaking of which, I have to pick her up at the train station in a little bit. You're free to spend tonight in your room if you wish. But starting tomorrow, you're going to shape up and not embarrass me. Do you understand?"

"Yes Mother," Regina softly replied, not daring to challenge her.

"Good. I'll be back later." With that Cora walked out of her bedroom, leaving Regina to her thoughts. Regina gripped her bedding tightly, trying to keep her body from shaking in rage. _What the hell is she thinking_ , Regina thought _. I'm in pain and she expects me to play hostess and be the 'perfect daughter'. I'm working through some major issues and she just wants me to not embarrass her. All she cares about is me being the 'perfect daughter', like Zelena. I love her, but it's hard living in her perfect shadow. She's the perfect one and I'm just the black sheep._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"And this is me and David on the quad," Mary Margaret stated as she scrolled to another picture on her lap top as she showed her mother her college pictures.

"Oh, you two look so cute together," Eva happily exclaimed.

"I know," she said as the two women giggled, neither catching Emma roll her eyes as she sat next to them on the couch.

"I'm home," Leopold called out as he entered the house.

"We're in here," Eva called out from the living room.

"Dad," Mary Margaret happily exclaimed as she got up and hugged her father. "How are you?"

"I'm good princess," he said. He warmly greeted his wife before noticing Emma. "Hello. You're Mary Margaret's friend, right?" he asked, as he had been unable to attend parent's weekend.

"Friend and roommate," she awkwardly stated, as often unsure on how to act around parents.

"We were looking through pictures from school," Mary Margaret explained. "Do you want to see them?"

"Sure." He leaned over the couch as his daughter resituated herself and resumed clicking through the photos.

"And this one is me, Ashley and Ruby at the diner they work at. And this one is me, Emma and Ruby in my room."

"Who's that?" Leopold asked as he pointed to the girl in the background.

"Oh, that's my other roommate Regina. She's…my roommate," Mary Margaret simply said.

"That's a cute dress you're wearing in that picture. Where did you get it?" Eva asked.

"I found it at a thrift store when I went shopping with Ruby and Belle."

As Mary Margaret and her mother chatted neither of them noticed Leopold staring intently at the picture. Emma looked at him, noticing the lustful look he had on his face as he gazed at the image of Regina. As their eyes met he glanced away, trying to look nonchalant at being caught staring at a girl young enough to be his daughter. Emma frowned at him, feeling quite uncomfortable over what she had just witnessed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey," Zelena said as she knocked on Regina's door frame. "When did you get home?"

"Around three," Regina coolly replied. While she normally enjoyed being around her sister, right now she'd prefer not being in her presence. Not when their mother wanted her to act like the 'perfect' older Mills daughter did.

"I'm so glad finals are done," Zelena exclaimed. "I can use the break. I spent every night in the art lab for two weeks working on my final drawing for my art class and my professor gave me B+. This other girl's drawing looked like a five year old drew it and she gets an A. Wouldn't be surprised if she got it cause she's sleeping with him. Anyway, how are you? How's school?"

"It's fine," Regina said dully, not wanting to get into all the angst she'd been going through. "I'm just glad to be away for a few weeks."

"You and me both," Zelena stated as she sat on the end of Regina's bed. "Have you talked to Mom yet?"

"Yup. She said we're having a bunch of people over here for the holidays."

"She told me the same thing when she picked me up from the station," Zelena said in frustration. "Did she tell you that Grandma Georgian is coming by?"

"No!" Regina yelled out in shock, dreading this piece of news. Their grandmother (the one from their father's side) was quite possibly one of the most vile and unpleasant people to have ever existed. No one could stand her, especially since she loved stirring up trouble. Get her in any family setting and she'll needle and push people's buttons simply for her own amusement. And to make matters worse she was the secret keeper of the family, knowing everyone's dirty laundry and indiscretions. And she always knew how to use her knowledge of the family to hurt others. She always said she was just 'getting things out in the open', but it wasn't hard to see through her facade. "Why the hell is she coming here? I thought Mom said she'd never have her over again after Daddy's funeral?"

"Apparently she found out Mom was having people over for the holidays and invited herself over," Zelena explained.

"This sucks," Regina exclaimed.

"Tell me about it," Zelena said in disgust, since she couldn't stand the woman at all. "She loves to torment me. Remember when we were kids and she'd sent us Christmas gifts, and she always made sure your gift was better than mine. That one year you got that robotic toy cat and I got an old frayed scarf that she probably got at a yard sale."

"I don't need this," Regina said, not having paid attention to Zelena's story. "First Mom said I have to be the 'perfect hostess' during break. And now Grandma Georgian is coming over. This is going to be a nightmare."

"She's not that bad to you," Zelena reminded her younger sister. "I'm the one she torments."

"This sucks," Regina reiterated, again not paying attention to her sister. "I'm trying to deal with things and Mom lays into me the second she sees me. I wish she treated me like she treats you."

"What?" Zelena asked in confusion.

"You have no idea how lucky you are. No matter what I do it's never good enough for her. Mom always has to nag me and push me. You she just leaves alone. She never yells at you, she never berates you. You're the perfect daughter and I'm just the screw up."

Zelena took a deep breath, her eyes blazing as she looked at her sister. "You stupid bitch."

"What?" Regina said, confused by her sister's reaction.

"Is that really what you think? That mom treats me this way because she loved me more. You're the one she loves. You're the favorite."

"What are you talking about?" Regina asked.

"Did you ever stop to consider that she pushes you because she cares? She wants you to be the best, and that's why she's always on your case. But she pretty much ignores me. No matter what I do it doesn't matter in her eyes, because I'm just her bastard."

"Don't say that!" Regina yelled.

"It's true. You're the legitimate one. I'm just the mistake she got burdened with. What you call 'treating me like the perfect daughter' is just ignoring me because I was her mistake. So why don't you consider other people's feelings before you run your big fat mouth." With that Zelena stormed out of her sister's room, slamming the door behind her.

Regina sat there in silence, shocked at what had just transpired. She had always thought of Zelena as the cool one, the put together Mill's daughter who had it all together. But now she saw her as a girl in pain over her very existence.

She mulled over what she had just heard, and the 'family secret' that lay before them. It had all started when they were both seven and nine, respectively. They had been at a family gathering and had overheard Grandma Georgian refer at Zelena as 'Cora's bastard child.' They asked their parents about it on the way home, and while they were upset about it, their parents insisted it meant nothing and refused to elaborate further. The two sisters did their own investigating, and eventually gathered together a rough estimate on what had happened. It seemed that their mother had had a one night stand just before she met Henry. They started going out and after a couple months Cora learned she was pregnant. Once he was told Henry immediately proposed and they married not long after. From the beginning Cora was honest with Henry and told him there was a chance the child wasn't biologically his, a fact which was proven once Cora gave birth (red hair wasn't a trait that ran on either side of the family.) But Henry didn't care, and raised Zelena as if she was his own.

They confronted their mother about it right after they discovered the news. She assured her children that she and Henry were their parents and nothing would change that. And as time went on it pretty much became something people knew, but just didn't talk about. Regina didn't even really think about it. But apparently Zelena did.

Regina felt ashamed as she realized she had never really taken Zelena's thoughts into consideration. How her sister felt over her parentage, over the fact that she had lost a father also, over everything. She had always been so wrapped up in herself, even before she lost Daniel and their father. She just assumed Zelena was alright because she always acted like she was. But now she realized that her sister was going through her own issues too. And she hadn't been there for her when she needed her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 _God this is painful_ , Regina thought as she sat on one of the couches in the drawing room. It was always awkward seeing her extended family. As it was she hadn't seen this many of her relatives since her father's funeral. First Cousin Clara and her family arrived yesterday, leaving the Mills women to deal with that nonsense (their youngest son had a cold and was constantly getting snot everywhere, and their daughter was fidgeting to the point where it seemed as if the girl had ADD.)Then starting this morning more relatives began trickling in for Christmas Eve. Uncle Ken from their father's side, Aunt Eliza and Uncle Davis from their mother's side, Grandma and Grandpa Hershey, Cousin Marcus and his family. And that didn't count the people who weren't sleeping over, like family friends and her mother's coworkers. Regina felt stifled having so many people in the house. True, they had plenty of room at the mansion for people to gather and even stay (there were five guest rooms available, along with fold out couches in the den, living room and home office.)But since there generally were only a few people living there it suddenly felt suffocating to her.

"Regina," her mother said testily as she pointed to an empty tray on the coffee table. Regina resisted the impulse to roll her eyes as she got up and took the tray to the kitchen. As she entered she saw Zelena with a tray of drinks in her hand. Before she could say anything her sister walked out of the room, avoiding eye contact with her.

Regina sighed in frustration as she put more bagel chips on the tray and filled the dip cup with crab spread. Ever since her outburst Zelena had been actively avoiding her sister. Regina had tried talking to her, but Zelena was refusing to speak to her. And once their relatives started coming there wasn't a chance for them to have a heart to heart.

Regina went back and set the dip tray on the table when the doorbell ring. An ominous chill ran down her spine as she went to answer the door. "Hello Grandma," she said with fake politeness.

"Regina, darling," Grandma Georgian stated as the town car that brought her over sped away. "Come on, get out of the way. Don't keep an old woman out in this cold."

"Of course, sorry. Let me take your bags," Regina said as she grabbed the two suitcases and stepped aside as they strode into the mansion. "How have you been?"

"As well as can be expected for a woman my age," Grandma Georgian scoffed as she looked Regina over. "I'm glad to see college hasn't widened your figure. Most girls pack on the pounds when they go away to university. Though I can't say that hairstyle you have suits you. You looked so much better when it was long, instead of that hatchet job you have now. Whatever made you decide to hack it off like that? College impulse?"

"I cut it last year in high school," Regina said in confusion, since she didn't think shoulder length hair was that short.

"It much have been after the funeral then. Terrible tragedy, of course. Anyway, I hope you will decide to grow it back out. I've always thought short hair on women makes them look rather dykey. And you don't want to give off that impression if you're trying to attract a good man. You know what they say, get them while you're young and desirable. Otherwise you'll find yourself alone and forgotten. And smile, no one likes a sad girl."

With that she made her way to the rest of the guests, leaving Regina to mull over that uncomfortable encounter.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh, I love this part," Mary Margaret exclaimed. It was Christmas day and the Blanchard family (and Emma) were watching the movie White Christmas, which they did every year.

"You love every part," her father stated.

"She just likes the movie," her mother said. "I'm sure when she has children they'll sit around and watch it also."

"Yeah, that's probably what will happen."

Emma sat at the end of the couch, feeling out of place over this family exchange. As she saw Mary Margaret rest her head on her mother's shoulder Emma focused on the television, trying not to feel jealous over the bond her friend had with her parents.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina stood by the wall, sipping her glass of sparkling cider. She really wanted to go to her room. Hell, she'd even take joining the little kids in the game room who were watching a Disney movie. But no, she had to stay here and mingle with the adults.

As she sipped her drink she thought again about her sister, and how terribly this holiday was going for her. When everyone had woken up that morning they had all gathered in the den to open presents. And while everyone was joyfully conversing she noticed that once again Grandma Georgian had been very unfair on the gifts she gave her and Zelena. For her their grandmother had given Regina an expensive bottle of perfume. For Zelena she had given her socks that clearly looked like that worn and second hand. While she tried to put on a brave face, Regina could tell her sister was fighting back tears over her gift. Regina wanted to scream at her grandmother over how cruel she was being. But instead she bit her tongue, feeling it wasn't her place to yell at her.

After presents were opened brunch was served, followed later by a turkey dinner. Afterwards people mingled around, talking among one another. Regina had to keep her emotions in check whenever someone brought up her father in conversation.

She finished her cider and made her way to the kitchen, wondering if she could sneak a glass of champagne instead. She walked down the hall when she noticed her mother and Grandma Georgian just inside the kitchen. She hung back by the entranceway to listen in.

"I didn't have a chance to tell you earlier, but congratulations are in order over being elected for state senator."

"Thank you," Cora responded.

"Of course, I'm sure Henry's death played a part in your victory," Grandma Georgian stated. "People tend to go with their emotions when they vote. And a recent widow would garner many a sympathy votes."

"I won based on my platform and positive campaign promises," Cora shortly responded. "My husband's death had nothing to do with winning."

"Of _course_ it didn't," Grandma Georgian replied. "Though at least something from your personal life actually _benefited_ your campaign. Honestly, I didn't think you'd have a chance given the read headed skeleton in your closet."

"What are you getting at?" Cora asked, a moment away from throwing a glass of wine in her face.

"Cora!" Both women looked over as Aunt Eliza came into the kitchen. "Some people were asking if the fireplace could be lit to make it more festive."

"I'll be right there. Excuse me," Cora stated as she strode out of the room, not even noticing her daughter standing just outside the kitchen. Regina stayed where she was as Aunt Eliza asked Grandma Georgian, "What did I miss?"

"Just what I've always saying about Cora's first born. That she should know that her daughter is a black mark on her life," Grandma Georgian explained as she poured herself another glass of wine.

"Maybe you should slow down," Aunt Eliza said as she eyed the alcohol. "You're not exactly young anymore."

"At my age it's beneficial to enjoy the pleasures of life," Grandma Georgian said as she drank a healthy gulp. "And as I was saying, in my day a mistake like her red headed first born would have been gotten rid of, either as soon as she was born, or even beforehand. It saves a lot of personal embarrassment."

"You shouldn't talk about her like that," Aunt Eliza stated, clearly uncomfortable with this conversation (while it wasn't anything the vile woman hadn't said before, generally she wasn't quite this revolting in her opinion on the matter.) "Zelena's a lovely girl. A member of the family."

"Maybe Cora's, but she's not my family. She's not my blood. She's just the bastard mistake Henry felt obligated to raise because he was tricked into getting married." She cackled as she looked at Eliza. "How are you coping anyway? I heard things aren't that good between you and your husband. It's a shame he's developed a habit of _working late_ with a number of his female coworkers."

"How…how did you know," she asked in shocked bewilderment.

"There isn't much I don't know sweetie," Georgian stated knowingly as she downed her wine and refilled her glass. "I know you're married, but I hope for your sake you're insisting he use a condom when you sleep together now. I'd hate to think what he might have picked up during his extramarital activities. Though I doubt there's much to say regarding your sex like if he has to seek satisfaction else ware."

With that Regina walked away, unable to listen to her grandmother anymore. _She's a vile bitch_ , she thought. _An evil woman who loves to cause misery._

Regina went back to the drawing room, where she spotted her sister standing by the piano. "Zelena," she called out as she went over. "Can I please talk to you?"

"I don't have anything to say to you," Zelena said with false indifference.

"I'm sorry, okay," she whispered so others couldn't overhear. "I had no idea you felt that way."

"Of course you didn't," Zelena snidely replied. "You just failed to notice how I've been treated all my life. Like the dark mark on this family."

"It doesn't matter who your biological father is," Regina insisted. "You're part of this family. Daddy loved you. Mother loves you. Everybody loves you."

"Not everyone," Zelena stated as she nodded her head towards Grandma Georgian, who had just entered the room.

"Forget about that vile woman. She doesn't know what she's talking about. Let's just leave here for a bit and we can discuss this whole thing."

Before she could protest Regina took Zelena's hand and pulled her across the room, where they were stopped at the entranceway by their grandmother. "Where are you two off to?" she drunkenly asked.

"We're just leaving," Regina said, her voice almost shaking in rage over being in this horrid woman's presence.

Grandma Georgian turned her attention to Zelena, who was looking down at her feet. "What is your problem child?"

"Nothing," Zelena said softly.

"I'd expect you to show more respect for your elders. Though I shouldn't expect that much, since you're not part of my pedigree. You're just the bastard mistake your mother made."

Zelena looked at her grandmother tearfully. Although she knew how the woman felt, this was the first time Grandma Georgian had ever said something like this directly to her face. "I…"

"Leave her alone!" Regina yelled, not caring that people were looking at them. "You have no right to speak to her like that!"

"I'll speak to that mistake anyway I want," the old woman snarled at Regina as she scoffed over the tears streaming down Zelena's face. "Stop your sniveling. If anyone should be upset it's me. My son is dead because of you. If your slut mother hadn't gotten knocked up with you and tricked Henry into marrying her, he'd still be alive. His death is all your fault."

With that Zelena ran out of the house, hysterically sobbing. Regina looked at her grandmother for a moment, wanting nothing more than to smash her face in, before bolting after her sister. Georgian smirked to herself before she was suddenly slapped across the face. She looked to see that her attacker was her daughter-in-law, who had witnessed the last bit of their exchange. "Cora-"

"Get the hell out of my house!" Cora yelled. Everyone stared at the two women as Cora advanced on her mother-in-law. "Get out of here right this minute!"

"I was just speaking the truth," Georgian said as she rubbed her cheek.

"I don't care what you call what you did. No one talks to my children like that, no matter who they are. Get out of here right now. And if I ever see you by my children or myself again, I will take you to court and sue you for emotional damage."

"You wouldn't dare," Georgian snarled. "Risk your reputation like that?"

"Try me," Cora stated clear as day.

Georgian stared at Cora for several moments before walking out of the room in a huff to gather her bags. While others tried to talk to her about what had just happened, Cora paid them no attention as she looked around for her daughters. She made her way out of the drawing room when she saw that the front door was open. Without a word she left to search for her children.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Zelena!" Regina called out as she ran after her sister. Her sister ignored her cries as she continued running when she tripped on the driveway and fell to the hands and knees. Regina dropped to her knees beside her sister, seeing she was practically hyperventilating. "It's okay," she said as she wrapped her arms around her. "I'm right here. It's okay."

"I can't…" she sobbed, gasping for breath as her younger sister hugged her.

"Zelena! Regina!" Regina looked up as their mother ran up to them. "Come on, let's go inside."

"I'm nothing," Zelena sobbed. "I'm just a mistake-"

"Don't say that! Don't even think it!" Cora strongly stated as she helped the two girls up. She put an arm around her oldest daughter as the three of them walked back inside. They ignored the party goers' questions as Cora led Zelena up to her bedroom, with Regina trailing behind. "Regina, can you please entertain our guests while I talk to your sister.

"Yes mother," Regina replied before walking out of the room and closing the door (and unbeknownst to them standing by to listen in.) Cora locked the door to make sure they weren't disturbed before saying to Zelena, "I am deeply sorry for what your grandmother said to you. She's wrong to think that way, and I should have stepped in sooner. I'm sorry."

"Everyone is ashamed of me," Zelena softly said.

"No, that's not true. I love you. So did your father. So does everyone else in our family. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yes I do. I'm not a part of this family. I'm just the mistake you got saddled with. The permanent result of a fling with a guy at a bar."

Cora sighed deeply, knowing this was a conversation they should have had long before now. "We never really talked about it. The few times you did ask me I just brushed it aside. But it's time we finally get it out in the open. Yes, I got pregnant by a man I slept with once, a man I fully never intended to see again. And yes, Henry isn't your biological father. But that never mattered to me at all. You're my daughter, and that's all that matters."

"Of course it matters," Zelena insisted. "That's why you love Regina more then you love me."

"That's not true at all," Cora said in shock. "I love both of you equally."

"Then why have you always treated me differently than Regina?" Zelena asked. "You're always paid more attention to her, praised her more then you did me? If you love us the same then why was I always treated as less of a daughter?"

Cora blinked back tears at the pain on her daughter's face. "I'm sorry that I ever made you feel like I loved you less. That was never the case. I've treated Regina differently then you because you're both different people. Your sister always needed more handling then you did. More encouragement to blossom. She didn't work hard to excel in school unless I pushed her to do so. She always had trouble making friends and needed my encouragement to go out and meet people. But you, you never needed me to push you. You always just did it. I never had to tell you to work hard in school, or to clean your room, or not to go out and get in trouble. You just did it. You were always the one I could count on to do the right thing."

"I did all that because I didn't want you to be ashamed of me," Zelena said tearfully.

"Oh Zelena," Cora replied as she hugged her daughter. "I could never be ashamed of you. I love you, no matter how you came to be here. And so did your father. It never mattered to him for an instant that someone else was your biological father. When you were born, and what we'd suspected was true, he held you in his arms and said to you, 'I'm your father, no matter what.' I don't think I could have loved him more than I did at that moment. I'm sorry if I ever made you think you didn't matter, or you were less then you are. You're a Mills, no matter what. I love you."

"I love you too mom," Zelena tearfully said.

On the other side of the door Regina's eyes teared up at everything she had overheard. She had had no idea her sister acted the way she did because she felt she had to make up for how she came into existence. It made her feel shameful over how resentful she felt over the belief that Zelena was favored by their parents, when to her sister the opposite had seemed true to her.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry Zelena," she said. It was later on that evening, when most people in the house had either left or gone off to bed. They two of them were in Zelena's room watching television, although neither were really paying attention to what was on. "I had no idea you felt like that all this time."

"It's alright," her sister replied. "You didn't know. And I did do a good job at pretending I was fine."

"But we're sisters, I should have figured it out. But I was always so self-absorbed that I just didn't see it." She sniffed as she looked down in shame. "You've always been there for me. Whenever I was bullied, whenever I needed help with something, whenever I needed you. And I never knew what you were going through."

"I told you, it's alright," Zelena insisted. "You had no idea how I felt. And you were there for me tonight when I needed you the most. So it's alright. I forgive you."

While Zelena said the last part lightly, Regina stiffened at the words, as they made her think again about her own quest for forgiveness. Before she could stop herself she suddenly asked, "Do you blame me for Dad's death?"

"Why would I blame you?" Zelena asked questionably.

"Because he went out that night because of me," Regina tearfully confessed. "I asked him to get me ice cream. He never would have been there if it wasn't for me."

Zelena listened to her sister, having long suspected this was the case. "Regina, that doesn't matter. What happened isn't your fault at all. You didn't pull the trigger. You didn't send that gunman to rob Carmen's. It was his fault, not yours. You did nothing wrong."

"I keep telling myself that. But then I think about how Daddy wouldn't have been there if not for me."

"Regina, things happen. Things that are outside of our control. I truly don't believe you're to blame for our father's death, no matter what the reason was that he went to Carmen's. You can't keep blaming yourself for it. He wouldn't have wanted that."

Regina sniffed as she took that in, realizing that their father wouldn't want her to waste her life wallowing in despair.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"So my dad got me tickets to see Wicked for Christmas," Lisa excitedly stated.

"Really?" Jenna exclaimed. "I'm so jealous. I've always wanted to see it."

"When are you going to see it?" Mary Margaret asked Lisa.

"The day after New Year's Day. My parents and I are seeing a matinee and then going out to dinner, and then we'll probably walk around Times Square. It should be fun"

"Oh my god," Katie happily said. "Remember the 11th grade class trip to New York-"

"And Mrs. Moffet had us take the wrong subway line and we ended up in Chinatown," Mary Margaret interrupted as she knew what story her friend was remembering.

"And Bauer bought those fireworks and set them off when we got back to the hotel," Jenna said through laughter.

"AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO EVACUATE US ALL!" the four girls finished as they laughed hysterically over the memory. They were so into reminiscing that none of them paid attention to Emma, who was sitting at the end of the restaurant booth feeling very much like a fifth wheel.

 _They probably wouldn't even notice if I left_ , she thought sulkily. She wouldn't have minded so much if they included her in the conversation. But ever since they all met up for lunch all the four of them had done was reminisce about memories from when they were in high school together.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina lay on top of her bed reading a book, grateful to have some time to herself. After the 'incident' with Grandma Georgian her mother had allowed her daughters to keep to themselves and not insist that they socialize unless they wanted to. They only had to make appearances when someone was leaving and they had to say goodbye, and even then their mother was being lenient.

As she heard general commotion coming from downstairs (probably from Cousin Clara's children she had to guess), Regina again thought about her father's death. While she had been counseled about it before, actually hearing Zelena say she didn't blame her for it had lessened the burden she had been carrying inside of her for well over a year. It finally made it seem possible that she could forgive herself. And if she could do that, she might just be able to forgive her mother for Daniel's death.

She snapped out of her thoughts as she heard a knock at her door, followed by her mother opening it and coming in. "Hello Regina," she said as she closed the door. "Cousin Clara's family just left, so everyone is now gone except for us and Zelena."

"Okay," Regina replied dully.

"Can I sit down?"

"Sure?" Regina questioned, since her mother wasn't usually known to ask to do things.

Cora sat down at the edge of Regina's bed before saying, "You sister said we should talk about dad's death."

"What did she tell you?" Regina asked.

"Just that it would be a good idea if we talked about it."

Regina took a breath as she finally said to her mom, "Daddy was at Carmen's that night because of me. I asked him to get me an ice cream sundae."

"I know," Cora said knowingly, having long ago guessed that was the reason Henry went to the ice cream parlor that fateful night.

"I keep feeling that he died because of me," Regina confessed.

"Regina, you did nothing wrong. The only person to blame for what happened is the shooter."

"But he wouldn't have died if I hadn't asked him to go," Regina insisted.

"That doesn't matter. There are a ton of factors that led to him being there that night. He wasn't even going to go out at all until I asked him to get a light bulb. You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. No one else does."

"I've been talking about it with my therapist," Regina told her mother. "And he says I have to forgive myself before I can heal and move on."

"He sounds like a smart man. And I hope you can stop blaming yourself for it. You had nothing to do with your father's death," Cora said as she hugged her daughter.

Regina relaxed under her mother's grip, feeling once again like a little girl seeking her mother's comfort. She hadn't felt like that since Daniel died. But for the first time in a long while she didn't feel like her mother was an evil woman who ruined her life. "I forgive you," she softly said.

"What?" her mother asked as she pulled back.

"Daniel. I, I finally see that it wasn't your fault that he died. It was an accident. And I shouldn't have blamed you for his death."

"Thank you," Cora said. "I am sorry that he died. I know I felt that the two of you were moving too fast. But I never wanted anything like that to happen to him. He was a good boy with his whole life ahead of him, and I've felt terrible that he was taken from you like that."

Regina shakily gasped as she thought about Daniel, remembering the last time she saw him alive. And suddenly she recalled what her father had told her about the situation. "The night Daddy died, before he went out, he told me that if he had caught us in bed together he would have thrown Daniel out of the house too. I kept thinking you were a monster for what you did. But you were just reacting to what you saw."

"I'll admit it wasn't easy walking in on the two of you in bed together," Cora stated. "And either way I would have yelled at the two of you. But if I could have foreseen what would have happened I would have insisted your boyfriend stay here until that storm passed."

"Like I wouldn't have asked Daddy to go to Carmen's if I knew what was going to happen," Regina said as her eyes teared up. "I miss them. Daddy and Daniel."

"I know. I miss your father too" Cora said emotionally. "And I'm sorry that Daniel died also. It's unfair what happened to the two of them. But neither of them would want us to wallow in despair. We have to move on, no matter how hard it is."

"I know," Regina said as she hugged her mother, feeling the burden she had carried inside of her for so long finally begin to loosen. Tears ran down her cheeks as she said to herself, 'I'm not to blame for what happened. It's not my fault.' And she actually felt herself believe it.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Come on, its five minutes to midnight!" Katie called out to everyone.

Emma pulled herself up from the couch, hoping it was over soon. It was New Years Eve, and The Blanchards were celebrating with a party at their house. Two parties actually. The adults were upstairs and the 'kids' (pretty much Mary Margaret and her friends) were downstairs in the den. And like most of this trip, Emma self like the odd (wo)man out. The whole night consisted of Mary Margaret and her friends reminiscing and acting like peas in a pod. And to make matters worse David had come over for New Years Eve. Which meant Mary Margaret was swooning over her boyfriend and very much ignoring her.

Emma looked at the group of them by the TV, the lot of them looking very chummy. Of course David fit right in with Mary Margaret's friends. He listened rapidly when they talked about times in high school, and entertained his girlfriend's friends with his own stories. It all just made Emma feel like more of an outsider.

She knew she should be grateful to be here. Outside of school she had nowhere to go (the dingy apt she had lived in at the end of high school she had had to give up when she started college.) And since she couldn't stay at SBU during holidays (at least until she was out of the dorms) she was thankful she had friends who would take her in. But this whole trip Emma had felt out of place. This was Mary Margaret's life outside college, and she was so caught up in it that she failed to try and include Emma in it.

As the announcer on the screen counted down to zero and the Times Square ball dropped, everyone cheered and hugged one another. And Emma, Emma hoped that next New Year's Eve she felt more included in the festivities. Or at least had someone she could ring in the New Year with.

 **Author's note: this chapter went in a much different direction then I had originally planned (I had planned Regina and Emma's Christmas's to be fairly short, and not to the length where it took up an entire chapter.) And while I had Zelena's backstory in the back of my head, I didn't plan on revealing it until much later. But it seemed to go perfectly with Regina's struggle, and I just kept writing until I got what we have now. Also, since Cora in this story is nowhere near as horrible as she was on the show, I created the Grandma Georgian character to be an 'evil' family member in Regina's life.**

 **As always, reviews are very much appreciated.**


	11. Chapter 11

Finally, the day Emma had been waiting for arrived, the day break was over and she could go back to college.

"I can't wait to get back," Mary Margaret said as Emma drove them through the neighborhood and then down main street. "It's nice to go home and see everyone, but I've missed school."

"Me to," Emma said, trying not to sound too relieved at finally going back to SBU.

"Are you okay?" Mary Margaret asked her roommate as they got on the highway. "You've been rather quiet the last few days."

 _I'm shocked you noticed_ , Emma thought. She had spent the reminder of their break counting down the days until they went back to school. She loved Mary Margaret and thought of her like a sister, even if they had only known each other for a relatively short amount of time. And she appreciated that she gave her a place to stay when she needed shelter. But this trip made her see they were from two different worlds. Mary Margaret had loving parents, and childhood friends, and a life to come home to. Emma had none of those things. And although it hadn't been intentional, being in Mary Margaret's world made her feel terribly alone.

"I'm fine. I was just looking forward to going back to school," Emma said, greatly side stepping the issue.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Home sweet home," Emma said as she and Mary Margaret walked into their empty dorm room. "Looks like we made it back first."

"Looks like," Mary Margaret replied as she put her bags down and checked herself over in the mirror. "Alright, I'm going to see if David's back."

"Have fun," Emma said with a chuckle as her friend left, able to guess what kind of _fun_ Mary Margaret would be having with her boyfriend. She unpacked her bag and separated her clean clothes from her dirty clothes (she had done a load of laundry at Mary Margaret's house mid-way during break.) She put her clean clothes away and filled her laundry bag with the rest when the door opened and Regina walked in. "Hi."

"Hello Emma," Regina replied as she put her stuff down.

"How was your Christmas break?" she found herself asking her roommate.

"Interesting," Regina shortly said, not wanting to get into it. Especially with her insufferable roommate. "Yours?"

"Same," Emma simply said.

Regina looked at Emma, able to sense that the girl had not had the best Christmas break either. Before she realized what she was doing she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. "Do you want this? I bought an extra one at the bus station."

"Sure," Emma said hesitantly. She slowly took the candy, half expecting this to be a trap considering how Regina generally acted regarding others eating her food. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Okay, I'm going to…" Emma indicated as she took her dirty clothes and headed to the laundry room. _Did she actually just do something nice for me?_ Emma asked herself as she made her way to the elevator.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma sat at her desk the next day looking over her new class schedule when Mary Margaret came into the room. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Looks like things went well with you and David last night," Emma said, wiggling her eyebrows over her roommate wearing the same clothes as yesterday.

"You're starting to sound like Ruby," Mary Margaret replied. "Though speaking of me and David, it looks like I'm going to be spending a lot more time with him. His roommate left school, so David has his room all to himself."

"So, you're going to be moving in with him?" Emma asked.

"Not exactly. I'll still be in here during the day. I'll just be sleeping in David's room."

"Geeze, you two are going to be doing it like bunnies."

"Shut up," Mary Margaret said while fighting to suppress a grin. "Couples just like sleeping next to each other."

 _Sure, that's it_ , Emma thought as she recalled all the times she walked in on Mary Margaret and David 'sleeping next to each other' since Halloween. It was then that she realized that with Mary Margaret spending her nights with David she wouldn't have to be kicked out of her room anymore.

"Okay, I'm just going to bring some stuff over to David's," Mary Margaret stated. Emma watched as her roommate put a weeks' worth of clothes in a duffle bag, along with some toiletries and a few other items. "I'll see you later."

"See yeah," Emma replied as she went back to her class schedule. Once she made sure everything was in order she turned on her TV and flipped through channels before Regina eventually came into the room. "Hi," Emma said, having decided she was going to try and be nicer to her roommate this semester.

"Hello," Regina replied in a polite, if not exactly friendly manner.

"Just as a heads up, Mary Margaret said David's roommate dropped out of school, so she's going to be sleeping in his room for now on," Emma explained, figuring it was only fair to tell Regina since she shared the dorm room too.

"Really," Regina said with a smile. "That's a plus. Now I won't be kicked out of here because of the two of them going at it." She frowned as she heard Emma scoff at her. "What?"

"Nothing."

"No, what was that for?" Regina sternly asked.

"Nothing. Just that, it's a little funny you're getting on Mary Margaret's case, considering you kept kicking me and her out of here when you were hooking up with Graham."

"Excuse me for wanting privacy when starting a new relationship," Regina said with a huff.

"Like anyone would call that a relationship," Emma said under her breath.

Regina arched an eyebrow, having caught her roommates comment. "At least I actually tried to start something with someone. That's more then you did with that bi-curious fling of yours."

Emma grabbed the remote and muted the TV, anger coursing through her over that comment. "Don't you dare throw that back at me! I had no idea she was using me like that! And we both know you never wanted Graham as a boyfriend! You were just using him to get some! You were as bad to him as Lily was to me!"

"I wanted the two of us to work out!" Regina insisted, even though she knew there was truth in what Emma was saying. "We were fine until you convinced him to leave me!"

"You're delusional if that's what you think. Graham was miserable when he was with you."

"Why are you so concerned with what happened between me and Graham?" Regina asked. "I think you broke us up because you're jealous and wanted him for yourself."

"I don't know how many times I have to remind you, but I like women, not men," Emma sternly stated.

"So you say. But your actions regarding Graham suggest otherwise."

"He's my friend. I didn't want him with you because you made him miserable. Not because I like him!"

"If you insist," Regina said snidely. "Because it's either that or because you want me to be miserable. And while I think that's the real reason, I'm willing to consider both options."

"Listen you vindictive bitch," Emma said as Regina's eye widened in anger. "I'm sure as hell not putting up with your nastiness for another semester. So get that entitled stick out of your tight ass and watch it. Because Mary Margaret isn't here to protest you, and I have no problem taking another swing at you."

With that Emma stormed out of the room, knowing she'd lose it if she looked at her roommate for one more second.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"God, every single time I think she's actually mellowing out she has to remind me what a bitch she is." Emma stated. After her fight with Regina she had escaped to Ruby and Belle's room to cool down. "She's completely full of herself if she thinks I'm 'out to get her.' I want to avoid her, not plan how to make her life miserable. She's the one that does that to me. And I have no interest in Graham at all. I told him to dump her because she was making him miserable, not because I like him."

"No, I get that," Ruby said. "I mean, yes he's gorgeous. But I've never gotten that vive when you're together. And I'm good at picking up on those things."

"I just hate it when people insist I'm not gay or have to like guys," Emma stated. "It really gets to me. Though of course that's probably why she said it. Because somehow she knew that gets to me and she wanted to needle and annoy me."

"Okay, this is the only time I'm going to ask this, but I have to know? Do you think…you might have feelings for Regina?"

"WHAT!" Emma screamed in shock just as Belle came into the room with an armful of books.

"What did I miss?" Belle asked.

"Ruby has gone insane, that's what you missed," Emma declared. "Why would you even think that Rube? I can't stand her. Neither can you."

"Yeah, but you fight with her more than anyone."

"That's because I live with her," Emma insisted.

"So does Mary Margaret. And even she doesn't complain about Regina nearly as much as you do. I just thought, maybe you're getting on each other's nerves so much because there's something there that neither of you want to admit," Ruby declared. "Like when you're kids and you pick on someone when you like them."

"Well, I can tell you you're completely wrong, because there is no way I like Regina Mills in any capacity. I wouldn't have feelings for her if she was the last woman on earth!"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma's bad mood continued throughout the week. She made it a point to go to the library after dinner to study, or to just walk around town so she could avoid her infuriating roommate _. Why couldn't she have gotten a boyfriend with his own room_ , Emma thought. _Then she'd be gone and I wouldn't have to put up with her crap anymore._

"Hey," Ruby said on Saturday as she sat down across from Emma in the cafeteria. "You've got any plans tonight?"

"Besides avoiding Regina, nope."

"Good, then you can come with me. The frat house is having a party to kick off the new semester."

"I don't know," Emma replied. "I'm not into the whole frat/sorority thing."

"Neither am I, but it's not like we're pledging. It's just a party. Come on, no one else can go with me. Belle had to go home this weekend for something with her father, and Mary Margaret said she's doing something with David."

"They're going salsa dancing," Emma replied with a chuckle before relenting. "Okay, fine. I could use the distraction."

"Great. And I've got the perfect outfit for you to wear."

"Nope, I'm picking out my own outfit," Emma reiterated.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

At first, Emma was really glad she had gone to the frat party. After having a drink she and Ruby hit the dance floor. Though she had seen Ruby dance before, she was still amazed at how graceful and seductively her friend could move. As they danced together Emma felt better then she had all week.

Of course, her night of fun wasn't meant to last.

After dancing for a while Emma left to use the bathroom. As she was making her way back to the living room/dance room, she stopped cold when she spotted Lily talking to some guy. _Crap_ , she thought. _What the hell is she doing here?_

Not feeling up for potentially interacting with her ex, Emma turned to go to another part of the house, when she smacked right into a dark haired guy in a long leather coat. "Oh, sorry."

"It's all right Love," he said in an Irish accent. "Drink's intact, so no harm done." He looked her up and down as he downed his rum and coke before taking out a flask and holding it out to Emma. "Here, have a taste."

"No thanks," she said as she started to leave.

"Hold on there Miss," he said as he stepped in front of her. "Don't be in such a hurry to leave. We haven't even introduced ourselves. What's your name?"

"Emma Swan," she said shortly, trying not to breath in the smell of rum wafting off him.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Killian. Killian Jones. Though I'm also known as Hook. Because I always get the ladies, hook, line and sinker."

 _Oh My God, does he actually think that works_ , Emma thought with a scoff. "I have to go. My friend's waiting for me?"

"What's the hurry. I'm sure they're fine by themselves making new friends," he said as he took a swig from his flask, looking at her like she was his next conquest. "Why don't we go upstairs to one of the bedrooms and you can make a new friend of your own.

 _Nope, this is not happening. I'm shutting it down right now_. "Okay, one, that's just pathetic. And two, I'm a lesbian, so you're wasting your time trying to get me to sleep with you."

Killian's eyes widened in surprise over this new information before he simply grinned. "I'm sure you just haven't found the right man to be with yet," he said as he leaned in to kiss her.

With that Emma pushed him as hard as she could, causing him to stumble backwards and fall onto his butt. "Ow! What the hell?"

"Get the hell away from me asshole!" Emma yelled. She didn't care that everyone was staring at the two of them as she stared daggers at the Irishman. "I am sick to death of people not believing I'm gay. That I can't possibly be queer. Or that I just need the 'right guy' to fuck the gay out of me and turn me straight. Well listen up asshole. I'm gay as hell, and have less then no interest in having sex with you. And even if I wasn't a lesbian, I wouldn't let you put your date rape hands on me if we were the only two people on earth."

With that Emma stormed out of the frat house. She marched down the street, to angry to notice Ruby running after her. _Who the hell does he think he is_ , she thought in rage. _I don't care if he's captain of the seven seas. I wouldn't sleep with him for a million dollars._

"Emma, wait," Ruby yelled as she finally caught up to her friend. "Forget about that guy, he's an asshole."

"I can't forget it! I am sick and tired of people thinking I have to like guys because…because I look a certain way, or don't look a certain way, or I don't know. I'm fucking sick of it. I'm not pretending to like women."

"I know that," Ruby said, remembering when she herself was told that in high school when she told a friend she thought a cheerleader was hot. "It sucks when people refuse to believe who you're attracted to."

Emma sighed deeply before blurting out, "That's what Neal said when I came out to him."

"Neal…you're ex-boyfriend Neal?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, him," Emma replied. "When I told him he kept insisting it wasn't true because we were going out. I had expected him to be mad or upset, but he just kept saying it wasn't true and I was just confused. A part of me almost would have preferred him to have been upset, instead of him just dismissing my feelings like that." She scoffed as she remembered what had happened next in their relationship. "He came up with the whole watch idea not long after that. He made me feel guilty about 'what I was putting him through with my confusion', which was why I went along with it. And then I got arrested because of him and went to juvie."

"Wow," Ruby softly said as another piece of Emma's eventful past was brought to light. "That really sucks."

"Tell me about that," Emma said. "So between what Regina said about Graham, and that asshole tonight, it just reminds me of that all over again." She sighed deeply, trying to put on a brave face. "Your right, I should just forget it and move on."

"Okay…" Ruby said slowly, not sure if that was the best thing for Emma to do.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Make sure everyone completes the take home quiz and hands it in the beginning of next class," Regina's processor said as people packed up their supplies and left the classroom.

Regina packed up her stuff and was about to leave when a girl approached her. "Hi, I'm Melissa. You're Regina, right?"

"Yes," she replied.

"I wanted to ask if you could help me with this quiz, since it's obvious you seem to know what the teacher is talking about."

Regina was about to just dismiss the girl when she thought about how she didn't have any friends here, and maybe if she reached out to others she would. "Sure. Come by my dorm later and I'll print out my notes from my laptop and give them to you. I'm in Mifflin, room 618."

"Thanks," Melissa said as she and Regina walked out of the classroom. Regina stiffened as she saw Emma walking down the hallway. But luckily for her the blonde completely ignored her as she walked past the two girls.

"Ugg," Melissa said with distain. "That's the girl who was at the frat party last Saturday screaming about how great she is cause she's a lesbian. No one cares about your gay agenda!" Melissa yelled down the hall. "Her and her kind shouldn't be allowed to try and corrupt us all to be homos like her, right?"

Regina simply nodded in response to Melissa's statements, not at all comfortable with what she was hearing. She thought about saying something, but instead stayed silent as they went to the elevator and got off on the second and third floors to go to each of their next classes.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Here you go," Regina said as she handed the printed papers to Melissa. "Last week's and today's notes. That should help you with the quiz."

"Thanks," Melissa replied as she sat down on Regina's bed and looked them over. "This doesn't look so bad. I have a hard time taking down what's important with his lectures. So this is really going to help."

"No problem. Glad to help," Regina replied.

The two girls looked over as the door opened and Emma walked into the room. "Hello," Emma curtly said, since she had been hoping Regina wouldn't be in there.

"What are you doing here?" Melissa rudely asked.

"I live here," Emma said in confusion.

"Are you friends with her?" Melissa asked Regina.

"She's my roommate," Regina stated.

"Oh. Well I feel sorry for you. Having to live with one of them. I hope she isn't turning you all lezzie queer."

"What the hell does that mean?" Emma angrily asked.

"It means not everyone appreciates having to put up with dykes like you ruining what was once a wholesome town," Melissa stated. She then yelled out as Regina snatched the notes out of her hand so fast it left a paper cut on her palm. "OW! What the-"

"Get the hell out of here right now," Regina sternly said. "You have no right to talk to her or anyone like that. Especially when she didn't do anything to you."

"What's your problem? Is she your girlfriend and you two want to lez it up?"

"Get out!" Regina yelled.

"Fine. I don't want to catch your gay vibes anyway." Melissa said as she quickly scurried out of the room, slamming the door shut.

Emma looked at Regina, trying to make sense of what just happened. "Friend of yours?"

"She was borrowing notes from me. I'd never met her before today," Regina explained.

Emma nodded her head, trying to keep her emotions in check since she didn't want to reveal just how hurt she was over Melissa's words. She looked at Regina, confused over the girl's actions. "You defended me."

"Why wouldn't I?" Regina asked. "I'm not a bigot. I meant what I said. You shouldn't be treated like that just because of who you're attracted to."

Emma shook her head, confused by her roommate's actions. "I just don't get you Regina. First you insist I have to like Graham and have to be lying about my sexuality. And then you defend me for being gay. I just don't get what your deal is."

Regina sighed as she thought over Emma's words, knowing she had to have sent mixed opinions. "Look. I really don't have a problem with you being gay if that's what you think. You shouldn't be persecuted for it. People like Melissa are wrong, and you shouldn't listen to them."

"Then why did you give me a hard time before, saying I was lying and had to like Graham?" Emma asked.

"Because it still stings that he left me," Regina admitted. Before she could stop herself she continued actually opening up to her insufferable roommate. "When you brought him up last week it brought to the surface how much it hurt when he left me. While I agree it was probably for the best, it still hurts that he dumped me. So I wanted to hurt you for reminding me of all of that, and that's why I said you were lying about being gay and wanted to be with Graham."

Emma almost pinched herself to see if she was dreaming, since this was the most human and open she had ever seen her roommate be since they had met. "Thank you for that. And…I'm sorry for getting on your case about that whole thing. I'll still defend Graham because he's my friend, but I shouldn't keep giving you grief over it."

"Thank you."

The two girls were silent for a moment before Emma couldn't help asking, "So you're not going to give me grief over being gay anymore?"

"Nope, even though what I said wasn't remotely in the same league as what Melissa said to you. And besides, there are so many other more meaningful things about you that annoy me. Like leaving dirty laundry on the floor by your bed."

Emma couldn't help actually chuckling over hearing that. "Least that's not as bad as being anal over having everything show room perfect by your bed."

Regina glared at Emma over that, but it was with none of the usual malice she usually felt. In fact, she felt like maybe she could actually stand her for the semester. They wouldn't be friends, but they might just survive the school year.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma was walking through the quad when she heard someone yell out, "Swan!" She turned out before groaning at seeing Killian Jones approach her. "What do you want?" she angrily asked, glancing around to make sure there were witnesses in case he tried to get handsy.

"Relax, I wasn't stalking you, if that's what you think," he stated. "I saw you walking and came over. I wanted to apologize for how I acted last weekend. I was drunk and said things I shouldn't have. And I'm sorry for upsetting you. Though to be fair, it's not often my charm doesn't work. They don't call me Hook for nothing."

"Goodbye," Emma groaned as she started walking away.

"No wait," Killian said as he stepped in front of her. "Give me a break okay, I'm not used to apologizing. But I mean it, I am sorry for what I said. Let me make it up to you. I'm having a poker game in a couple weeks. If you want, I'm fine with inviting you to play."

Emma narrowed her eyes over that, suspicious that this was just another chance to hit on her. "You're not trying to trick me into playing poker and betting me sleeping with you."

"It's just poker," Killian reiterated. "Just regular poker. Come on Swan. Consider having the chance to take my money as being even."

Emma thought about it for a second, deciding she wasn't going to immediately say no. "I'll think about it. I'm in the directory. Call me when you're playing and I'll let you know."

"Very well. Have a good day," he said as he walked away.

 _First Regina apologizes to me, and now this guy_ , Emma thought. _Am I sure I'm not imagining this?_

 **Author's note: I'm not really pleased with this chapter (I'll admit Melissa was just a stereotype to further the plot.) But it had been a while since my last update and I finally just decided to get it out before trying to rewrite the chapter again.**

 **Also, while I plan on both Emma and Regina to each be in a relationship with someone before they become a couple, I can assure you now that Captain Swan will not be a thing in this fic. Though despite there rocky start, I do plan on them actually becoming friends. And for those who are curious, I already know who Regina and Emma will be partnered with before they become a couple.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Because a number of reviewers had questions regarding the previous chapter, I'll try and answer a few of them.**

 **.Melissa was an OC, and not Maleficent. Maleficent was originally meant to be Lily's mother in this fic. But since that would essentially made the character unusable in this fic, I'll probably make Lily's mom a OC, and introduce Maleficent at some point**

 **.As for the significant others each of the girls will have before they become a couple, I'll be upfront and say that Robin will be Regina's boyfriend. I feel that some things canon to the show have to be included, and since captain swan isn't happening, this was the tradeoff. As for who Emma's girlfriend will be, I'm keeping that a surprise, although props will be given if anyone correctly guesses it beforehand.**

 **.While I'm sure many will be disappointed, I'll be honest in saying it will be quite a while before Emma and Regina do become a couple (this fic will take place within a four year period, and it's either take a while before they get together, or have them become a couple early on and then play the 'break up make up' game.) I will say it won't be long until they become actual friends, and there will be plenty of cute friendship moments between the two of them.**

 **.The reason Regina doesn't have any friends of her own at the moment is because she's isolated herself due to the pain of losing two people in her life. It won't be long before she and Emma become close friends. And she will eventually make some friends of her own.**

 **.I'm honestly not sure what was meant by asking why Zelena is exiled. She's Regina's older sister who's going to a different school then Regina, as is quite common for siblings to do. While she might not be in every chapter, she will continue to pop up at various intervals.**

 **And now, onto the next chapter.**

"It sounds like you had an eventful winter break," Archie reiterated as Regina finished telling him about what had happened over Christmas.

"That's a simple way of summing it up," Regina said.

"I am glad you listened to what I said, about forgiving yourself."

"It wasn't easy," Regina said with a shudder. "And there are still times I blame myself for what happened. But then I think about how my father wouldn't want me to waste my life being paralyzed by his death. And I force myself to make myself move past it, because that's what he would have wanted."

"I'm glad to hear that Regina. It's never easy when we lose people we love. And there are times it will get to you no matter how many years pass. But you're right, it's healthy to grieve and then move on and live our lives." He looked at the clock, seeing their session was half over. "We still have some time left. Is there anything else you want to talk about today? Did anything happen with you last week when you got back to school?"

Regina sighed before saying, "I had another fight with my roommate."

"I see. Which one?" Dr. Hopper asked, although he already had a guess as to which roommate it was.

"Emma. She brought up what happened between me and Graham and we had a big fight because of it. She's just so infuriating."

"Was there a reason she brought it up?"

Regina hesitated a moment before continuing, wondering if she should have brought up what had happened at all. "Mary Margaret's boyfriend has a single now, so Emma told me she'll be spending her nights at his place. When I said I was glad that she wouldn't be hogging the room anymore Emma said I was a hypocrite because of when I was with Graham. I told her she probably had feelings for Graham even though she says she's gay. That made her furious, and we fought because of that." Regina picked at the fabric of the couch as she decided to share what happened afterwards. "A few days later a girl from class asked if she could borrow my notes. Somehow she knew Emma and that she was gay. When we went to my room and she saw Emma she viciously attacked her, calling her all sorts of homophobic names."

"That's quite unfortunate to hear," Dr. Hopper solemnly replied. "How did you handle the situation?"

"I told her not to say that stuff to Emma and made her leave," Regina said as she shuttered over the incident. "After she left Emma said she was surprised that I would defend her."

"And you're surprised that she was surprised you defended her?" Dr. Hopper asked.

"Yeah. I've never cared that she's gay. I mean, yes she's annoying. But she shouldn't be attacked because of who she wants to have sex with. I don't know why she thought I'd jump in and call her a dyke or such."

"Well, you two already have an antagonistic relationship. She might have thought that would translate into judging her over her orientation. That and the other girl you were with was taunting her. That can lead to imitation through peer pressure."

"That's stupid, I'm not that weak willed."

"It sounds like you're not. But I'm just saying why she might have thought you'd act like that," Dr. Hopper reiterated.

"Well, I told her I didn't care that she's gay, and she shouldn't be persecuted for it either. That, and that I only said she might have feelings for Graham because I'm still upset that he left me and I knew saying that would bother. When I found out how much it actually got to her I felt bad that I insinuated that she liked Graham like that. "

"It sounds like you care about this girl," Dr. Hopper stated.

"What are you nuts?" Regina asked in surprise. "She's insufferable. I can't stand her and she can't stand me. Just because she made me feel guilty doesn't mean I care about her."

"Maybe," Dr. Hopper replied thoughtfully. "Though you do seem to talk about her a lot in our sessions. If we're not discussing your family or Daniel, we're generally talking about Emma."

"Because I hate her," Regina reiterated. "She gets on my nerves. She's always pushing my buttons. That's why I talk about her. Because I need to vent."

"That's understandable. Although sometimes with two people there is a fine line between love and hate. While I can't betray specific patient confidentiality, I can say I've worked with people who have close friends they strongly fight with."

"So you're saying, even though we fight a lot, a part of me actually wants to be friends with her?" Regina asked.

"It's possible."

Regina thought about that for a moment before scoffing. "Sorry, but I don't buy it. I hate her, and she hates me. And we will be much happier next year when we're not roommates and are out of each other's lives."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina sat at her desk that night, occasionally glancing at Emma as they worked on their school work. She ran through her head what Dr. Hopper said to her at their session, that she might actually want to be Emma's friend. It seemed so absurd. And yet, a tiny part of her couldn't help wondering if it was even possible. Though whenever that thought came to her she wondered why she would even want to be friends with the annoying blonde.

Her attention snapped to the door as it opened and Mary Margaret came in. "I'd forgotten you even knew where this room was."

"Not now Regina," Mary Margaret replied in a 'don't mess with me' tone.

"Is everything alright?" Emma asked.

"David and I had a fight. I'm sleeping here tonight," Mary Margaret hastily replied as she searched through her drawers. "Fuck, all my pajamas are in David's room."

Regina and Emma exchanged a look, since they rarely heard their roommate drop the F bomb. "You can borrow a pair of my pajama pants," Emma said as she pointed to the top drawer of her dresser.

"Thanks," Mary Margaret said as she pulled out a pair of Emma's pants and a t-shirt and quickly changed before pushing off the papers and note books Emma had left on top her bed. "Good night."

Emma was about to comment that it was not even 9pm, but decided against it given M M's mood. She and Regina continued to do their work, glancing over at their roommate whenever the girl would huff in annoyance.

The next morning Mary Margaret woke up, seeing her roommates were already up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes as Emma asked, "So what happened last night?"

"David and I had a fight."

"Yeah, I can see that. But what caused it."

"I told him he couldn't leave his wet towels on the floor cause then the room smells. He then said 'well maybe the room wouldn't smell if you did your laundry instead of letting it pile up in the corner'. And it just escalated from there until we were screaming at each other and I had to get out of there."

"Not even two weeks living together and there's already trouble in paradise for the golden couple," Regina replied in amusement.

"Don't piss me off right now Regina," Mary Margaret told her before saying to Emma, "Maybe this is a sign. Maybe we're moving too fast and should take a break."

Before Emma could reply Regina said, "Oh please. I thought you were made of stronger stuff then this."

"Regina-" Emma said with warning.

"No. No hand holding here. Couples fight. It happens. I fought with Daniel, but I didn't think of leaving him every time we argued. As annoying as you two are, and I will deny it if you ever ask me to repeat it, you two are a good couple. If you throw it all away because of laundry then you're bigger idiots then I already think you are."

Emma opened her mouth to challenge Regina, before shutting it. Because while she hated to admit it, she actually agreed with Regina's opinion on the matter. "Right. Like she said. Maybe you should talk to him before you give up on you two."

Mary Margaret huffed before saying, "Fine. I'll talk to David. And his stupid face. And that stupid grin he gets when he thinks he's right."

Emma smirked at Mary Margaret before something Regina said registered. _Wait, who's Daniel?_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Emma!" Mary Margaret called out as she left Bowman building. "Guess what? David and I patched things up."

"That's great," Emma said, glad things worked out for her roommate.

"Yeah. We talked things through, and are going to be more mindful of each other over being in the room together. But it might be good for us if we didn't all our time together. So how about we have a girls night. You, me, Ruby and Belle. And maybe Ashley if she's free."

"Sure, that sounds good," Emma said, hoping 'girls night' didn't involve facials and pedicures.

"Oh, why don't we ask Regina if she'd like to join us?"

"Regina?" Emma asked.

"Yeah. She did suggest I talk to David about what happened. Plus, I don't want to say it, but she doesn't really have many friends."

"Alright fine, we can ask her."

In the end Regina declined their invitation, stating she had to do research for a paper. And while Emma had a good time (the five girls played pool in the rec room and then crammed in Ruby and Belle's room for a sleepover), a part of her couldn't help wondering how the night would have gone if Regina had joined them.

While the girls enjoyed their night, Regina sat alone in her room, feeling sorry for herself. When Mary Margaret asked her to hang out with them she almost said yes. But something (pride, fear of rejection) stopped her from joining them. So instead she made up a reason not to go, and stayed by herself that night.

 _Its better this way_ , she thought to herself, even if she didn't quite believe it.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Emma, hey," Ruby said as she opened her door and invited her friend in.

"Hey Rube. Are you busy tonight?"

"Not that I know of. What's up?"

"You remember that guy who hit on me at the frat party a few weeks ago?" Emma asked.

"The tall asshole Irishman? The guy I tried to prank call during the sleepover?"

"Yeah, him. He called me today and invited me to play poker at his place tonight."

"And you want to go?" Ruby asked, confused considering what had happened at the frat party.

"Normally I wouldn't. But he kept saying he was sorry over what happened and he wanted to make it up to me for being a jerk. But I'd feel better if someone came with me in case he tries anything."

"Alright sure, I'll go with you," Ruby replied. "I haven't played poker since high school so it'll be fun to play a game again."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma knocked on the door of townhouse 93 before it was opened, revealing Killian. "Evening Ladies."

"Jones," Emma warily replied as they walked in. "This is my friend Ruby. She'll also be playing."

"Pleasure to meet you," Killian replied with a devilish smirk as they went to the table in the living room, where three other guys were already seated. "Men, this is Emma and Ruby, our other two players. That's Smee," he said, pointing to a large bearded guy in a red woolen cap." "That's Darrel," he indicated to a guy with long dreadlocks (who Emma recognized from her floor.) "And that's Will," he gestured to the guy with very short dark hair. "The game of the night is Texas hold 'em. Its twenty dollars to buy in. White chips are worth one cent, blue five, red ten."

"Can we just play already?" Will impatiently asked.

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of chances to lose your money," Emma said as she and Ruby put in their money and took their chips. As they sat down and Killian dealt two cards to everyone she realized something she hadn't noticed on their previous interactions; his pinky and ring finger on his left hand were missing. Instead he had two prostatic fingers that were attached to his hand. She looked at them for a moment, wondering what the story was behind them, before taking her cards and looking them over.

"Alright folks, anti-up," Killian said as he dealt out the first three communal cards and everyone put in a chip. "I raise one."

"I'll see your one, and raise five," Darrel stated as Smee and Ruby folded and everyone else put in five.

Emma looked at her own cards as Killian dealt out the fourth card. She put in a five when Will raised, and a ten when Will raised again after the fifth card was dealt. Killian and Darrel folded as she and Will sized each other up. "Okay there miss, let's see what we got." He smirked as he turned his cards over. "Two fives. And with the two fours on the table, I'd say that's two pair. Looks like I win."

"You might want to look again," Emma said.

"What? You have a two and a four. That's…" The smile left his face as he realized she had three of a kind. "Bloody Hell," he exclaimed as Emma took the pot.

"Beginners luck," Smee groaned as Darrel dealt the next hand.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Next time don't bring in a ringer Killian," Will exclaimed as the game came to an end.

"I'm sorry Scarlett, I can't hear you over the sound of all these chips," Emma said as she shifted her winnings around.

"Whatever. Someone had to win, although I was hoping it would be me," Darrel replied as he put on his coat.

"Okay everyone, anyone who wants to play, the next game is next Friday," Killian told everyone.

"Okay, see yeah," Darrel said as he left, followed by Smee and a grumbling Will.

"So, looks like you had fun," Killian said to Emma.

"Alright, it was fun," Emma said as she and Ruby readied to leave. "Though winning played a factor in how the night went.

"Hope you ladies come by next week. I want a chance to win my money back."

"Probably, maybe. K, night," she said as they left.

"That wasn't bad," Ruby stated as they walked back to Mifflin.

"Okay, I'll admit that wasn't terrible," Emma admitted. "At least he didn't hit on me. Though he kept making eyes at you all night." She frowned at the look on Ruby's face. "Oh come on, don't tell me you're thinking of asking him out."

"I don't know," Ruby truthfully replied. "He is really hot."

"I'm pretty sure he was wearing guy liner Rubes. Unless you're in a band playing a gig, that's not a look guys should embrace."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I hate Valentine's day," Emma exclaimed as she and Belle walked past a flyer for the Valentine's Day dance. "It's just a made up holiday to sell chocolate and jewelry."

"It actually dates back to early Christian martyrs names Valentine," Belle explained. "There was Valentine of Rome, who was martyred in 269, then Valentine of Terni who-"

"Okay, we get it, you're a genius." Emma said with a sigh. "I just hate all the coupling that goes with that day. Everyone is all sickly happy. It makes people who aren't with someone feel lonely."

"Well, I'm not with anyone. Neither is Ruby. So you're not the only one who's single."

"I thought Ruby was with Killian?" Emma asked.

"That's done. She told me they broke up a few days ago."

"Really?" Emma asked. "He dumped her just before Valentine's Day? That's rough."

"Apparently she did the dumping, although she said it was mostly mutual."

"Hu," Emma said. "That didn't last long. Guess not everyone can be the golden couple, like M M and David. Last time I spoke to her she said they're going to a bed and breakfast in Vermont for Valentine's Day weekend. At this rate I wouldn't be surprised if they get married before the end of the year."

The two girls laughed at that when Belle smacked right into someone. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," he said with genuine distain.

"Here, let me," Belle said as she picked up his cane and handed it to him. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Deary," the man said as he walked away.

"I'm pretty sure that's the famous Gold," Emma said as they watched him go on his way. "From the way people talk about him, you're lucky he didn't do worse to you."

"He didn't seem that bad," Belle said with a shrug as they continued walking.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Explain to me again why this is a good idea?" Ruby asked Emma as they stood on top of the snow covered hill behind Mifflin.

"Because people go sledding when it snows so bad that classes are canceled."

"I'm fine with that. But are we really going to go down that hill using cafeteria trays as sleds?" Ruby asked as she waved her rectangular plastic tray.

"Trust me, it's completely doable using a tray to sled," Killian said. "I did it all the time last year. Though now I've upgraded to the Jolly Roger here, so I'll beat all of you." He got into his long black plastic sled before gesturing to the back seat. "Room for one more if anyone wants it."

Belle looked at her tray before dropping it and climbing into Killian's sled. "Okay fine. This looks marginally safer than using a cafeteria tray."

"I bet I make it down before you," David said to Mary Margaret as he sat down atop his inflatable tube.

"Not before I beat you," Mary Margaret replied as she got in her own tube. "Loser decides who watches what on TV tonight."

"You're on."

"So are we doing this at the same time, or one at a time?" Graham asked as he readied himself on his plastic saucer.

"Same time," Emma said. "It's more fun that way.

"So more chaos is more fun?" Belle asked.

"That's how I roll," Killian stated.

"Wait for us!" Ariel yelled as she and Mulan made their way over.

"What took you guys?" Emma asked. "You said you'd be here-what the hell is that?" she asked at the huge monstrosity Ariel set on the ground, while Mulan put down a medal saucer and a plastic pole.

"It's my thingamabob," Ariel stated.

"Your what?" David asked. "It looks like a large inflatable chair."

"It is. But it also had a large piece of plastic on the bottom, and plastic fins on top. It could be either a sled or a chair. So I'm calling it a thingamabob," Ariel explained.

"Where did you even find that thing?" Graham asked.

"In a dumpster behind the dollar store. Don't knock dumpster diving until you've tried it. You find a lot of treasures that way."

"Alright, let's do this!" Mulan cried out as she knelt on her saucer and pushed herself off. The group watched as she rocketed down the hill. Just as she reached the base she dug her pole into the ground, swinging around and pulling herself to a stop.

"Okay, that was badass as all hell," Ruby said as everyone else nodded in approval.

"Okay, let's do this!" Emma yelled in imitation as she knelt on her tray and pushed herself down the hill, followed by everyone else. Killian and Belle raced ahead of everyone as Ruby fell off her tray and tumbled down the hill, narrowly missing Mary Margaret before crashing into Ariel's monstrosity and capsizing the redhead's vessel.

"Aw!" Ariel yelled as she rolled several feet before stopping herself near the base. "My thingamabob!" she cried out as she pulled herself up the hill and examined her rapidly deflating chair sled. "There's a big hole in it."

"I'm sorry Ariel," Ruby said as she pushed herself up and dusted the snow off her.

"It's okay," Ariel said with a shrug. "It was fun while it lasted."

"I beat you!" David said to Mary Margaret.

"No, I beat you!" Mary Margaret insisted. "Graham, who made it down first?"

"I don't know, I wasn't paying attention," Graham truthfully asked.

"It doesn't matter, I beat everyone down the hill," Killian stated.

"We beat everyone," Belle corrected him.

"Whatever."

"Okay, let's all go again and we can see who gets down first," Emma said before saying to Mulan, "And this time we all go at the same time."

"Fine," Mulan replied ruefully.

"Though that was really cool what you did there."

As the group made their way up the hill to go sledding again, none of them noticed Regina watching them from her dorm room window. When they had talked about going sledding, a part of her had hoped they would have asked her to come. And when they didn't she couldn't help feeling excluded. She thought about just going out and joining them. But she was afraid they'd all act weird if she went out there.

 _You're not friends with them_ , she thought as she tore herself from the window. _Stop trying to pretend otherwise._

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's time!" Ruby happily exclaimed as she burst into her room, where Emma and Belle were watching a movie.

"What's time?" Emma asked, pausing the film.

"Townhouse registration. It's finally here," Ruby explained as she set the forms and paperwork on her desk. "They just started pre-registration today, so we have three weeks to finalize everything and get all forms in if we want a house for next year."

"And what's the deal with the townhouses and getting into one?" Belle asked as she and Emma got up and looked at the forms.

"I'm shocked. There's actually something the genius Belle doesn't know," Emma said as Belle rolled her eyes over that. "How do you not know about this? It's all freshman talk about."

"Forgive me for focusing more on my schoolwork then housing."

"Okay, for the uninformed, I'll explain what you need to know," Ruby insisted. "The townhouses are on-campus housing apartments for sophomores, juniors and seniors. There are one hundred and twenty houses in total, divided into six housing blocks. Each housing block has twenty apartments, ten on the top row and ten on the bottom. The bottom level odd numbered houses are designed for six people, with two double bedrooms and two single bedrooms. The top level even numbered houses are for five people, with two double bedrooms, and a single. Every house also had a living room, a kitchen and two bathrooms. And while it's still on campus, there's much more freedom living in a townhouse then in the dorms, since you don't have to worry about R.A's and such.

"Now for rules and regulations. Townhouses are assigned based on seniority. Meaning seniors are chosen first, then juniors, and finally sophomores. And not only are we on the bottom of the totem pole, but we also have the most restrictions. Sophomores can only get assigned to a six person townhouse for some reason. And unlike juniors and seniors, a sophomore townhouse can't be co-ed. So we'll have to live with three other girls. In addition, a student's grades and academic standing plays into who gets chosen for a house."

"So am I going to be a problem because I was on academic probation?" Emma asked.

"I already looked into that," Ruby explained. "And no, since it was lifted at the beginning of this semester, it won't have any impact on us getting a townhouse. Even President Spencer can't use it as an excuse. Besides, you have great grades, and Belle has the highest GPA in the whole school. As long as we don't pick terrible people to join us we shouldn't have a problem getting a townhouse. Now, first thing we have to do is get a group of six girls together. Obviously there's us three and Mary Margaret."

"You still think she'll want to live with us, considering that she's pretty much shacked up with David?" Emma asked.

"Mary Margaret won't screw us over," Ruby explained. "We've been talking about living in a house next year for months. But I'll made sure she's still on board. In the meantime we have to find two other girls. I'll talk to Ashley next time I see her at work."

"Okay. We'll ask around too," Emma said while Belle nodded her head in agreement.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Guess what! I've got great news," Ruby said as she charged into Emma's room, not caring that Regina was shushing at her to quiet down while she read.

"What?" Emma asked.

"I talked to M M today, and she said David is getting an off campus apartment next year, and she'll be pretty much living with him."

"So she's not going to be living with us then?" Emma asked in disappointment.

"That's the thing," Ruby said with a grin. "Her parents would never let her live by herself with a guy, so she'll 'technically' still be living with us, at least on paper. She'll be assigned to be in our house, while in actuality she'll be living with David."

"Okay. And how is this good for us?" Emma asked.

"It's good because whoever is her 'roommate' will essentially get a double room to themselves."

"So if we're her roommate, we get a double to ourselves?" Emma asked.

"Right."

The two girls looked at each other for a moment before saying "I call it," at the same time. "Come on, no fair," Emma insisted. "I'm already her roommate. I should get it."

"Hey, I've been doing all the work putting this house together," Ruby stated. "It's only fair I get the big room to myself."

Emma lightly groaned as she realized Ruby was right. "Okay fine, you can have the double."

"Good," Ruby replied with a grin. "We still need two others to live with us. I talked to Ashley, and she said she'd love to live with us. So we just need one more."

"I think I've got someone," Emma said. "I talked to Ariel, and she said she doesn't have a group to live with, and she'll take the open spot. The only thing she asked is that she gets one of the singles. She said she has a lot of stuff and wants to spread it out over her own room."

"That's fine. I also think it's best if Ashley gets the other single. That way if she wants to see Sean she had her own room to be with her boyfriend in."

"Good idea," Emma agreed with. "So with the six of us, Ashley will get a single, Ariel will get the other, you'll be 'living' with Mary Margaret…and I'll be rooming with Belle."

"Yup, looks like. Don't worry, Belle's really easy to live with. As long as you're quiet when she's reading there's no problem."

"Except that she's always reading," Emma jokingly replied. "No that's fine. I like Belle. I'm sure I won't have a problem living with her."

"Good. I'll start getting everything in order so will be ready before the deadline." Ruby stated. "This is going to be great."

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Emma!" Ruby yelled in the cafeteria two weeks later.

"What?" Emma asked as she finished her lunch.

"We've got a problem," Ruby said as she raced to the table and slid next to Emma. "Ashley just talked to me. She just found out she's pregnant."

"Really?" Emma said. "Wow, that's something."

"Do you know what this means? She said she's not coming back to school next year. She and Sean are leaving so they can raise the baby."

"Wait. If she's not going to be in school…" Emma said as the problem dawned on her.

"It means we're now one girl short for our townhouse."

"Shit," Emma hissed. "This, shit."

"I know. Applications are due on Friday and now we're a girl short. We have four days to find someone else or else we might not get a house."

"Can that really happen?" Emma asked.

"If we don't have six girls they'll put us on the wait list and give us a house if someone who can't get a house wants one. Which means best case is it will be the five of us living with a complete stranger. But there's a chance they won't find someone and we won't be eligible for house."

"Fuck," Emma said.

"Tell me about it. Which means we need to find a sixth girl before Friday so we're guaranteed to still get a house."

"Okay, okay, let's just think. What about Mulan?"

"I asked her right after talking to Ashley. She already has a group to live with."

"Shit," Emma said. "What about Merida, from Mary Margaret's archery class?"

"She already has a house."

"Tiana?"

"She already has a house."

"Elizabeth?"

"I ran into her as I was coming here. She said she's transferring to another school next year."

"Fuck," Emma softly said. "Why can't sophomore houses be co-ed? We could have asked Graham to live with us. Hell, I'd even take Killian at this point if it'd guarantee us to get a house. We've been talking about this for months and now it might not happen."

"I…might know someone," Ruby tentatively said.

"Really? Who?"

"Well…we do know someone who doesn't have a house yet. And who doesn't know enough people to form one themselves."

"Okay, who is it?" Emma asked before it dawned on her who Ruby was talking about. "No! NO! We are not asking Regina to live with us. She's horrible."

"I know you're not her biggest fan-"

"Biggest fan? She's made my life hell since day one."

"Look, she's not my first choice either. But believe me, there's no one else to ask. And she hasn't been that bad lately."

Emma groaned as she thought it over. While she'd hate to admit it, Regina hasn't been that bad to live with this semester (save for the fight they had when they came back from break.) But did she really want to chance Regina making her life hell again for another year.

"Look," Ruby said. "I know living with her is going to be roughest on you. So I'm willing to make a deal with you. You agree to have Regina complete our house, and in exchange you can live with M M."

Emma looked at Ruby as she realized what she was saying. "You'd let me have the double room to myself?"

"Yup. You should get something if you've going to be living with Miss. Bitch again."

"So that means…Regina would get the single Ashley was going to have. Ariel gets the other. I'll 'live' with Mary Margaret, and you and Belle will get the other double."

"That's the plan."

"You sure you don't mind?" Emma asked. "I mean, you have been doing all the work getting this together."

"Yeah. But like I said, you're going to be the most inconvenienced having Regina in the house. Besides, I have no problem rooming with Belle again. The only reason I didn't plan to live with her from the beginning was because of that room. So no, I have no problem living with her."

"That's good," Emma said before sighing deeply. "Now we just have to hope Regina agrees to live with us."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, this is an interesting development," Regina said, leaning back in her chair.

"Yeah, interesting," Emma said evenly, knowing it wouldn't help their cause if she lost her cool. "So, will you live with us so we can all get a house together?"

"I don't know," Regina drew out, making a show of looking over her text book. "I was thinking about getting a single in Arendelle next year. It might just be easier than having to worry about dealing with roommates."

Ruby held up her hand to silence Emma before saying to Regina, "Come on Regina, you know the only sophomores who live in the dorms are those who can't get into a townhouse. You'll have a lot more freedom in a townhouse then in you would living in the dorms. And you'll still get your own room; it'll just be in our house. What do you say?"

Regina pretended to look over her notes before finally saying, "I'll think about it."

"What!" Emma yelled. "You're going to keep us waiting-"

"That's fine!" Ruby said, quickly cutting Emma off. "Take a day or two to think it over."

"I'll do that," Regina replied.

"We need your answer by Wednesday," Emma told her. "The registration deadline is Friday, so we'll need time to find someone else if you say no."

"Fine, I'll let you know then," Regina said.

Emma managed to keep her cool until she and Ruby walked out of the room and closed the door. "Can you believe her!" Emma yelled. "I bet she's just going to make us wait until the last minute and then say no just to spite us."

"It's a benefit to her to say yes," Ruby reasoned. "It's much better to live in a townhouse then the dorms. I'm sure she'll say yes."

"She damn well better."

While the two of them talked in the hall Regina leaned back in her desk chair, contemplating this turn of events. In truth she had made her decision almost as soon as they'd asked her. While they did get on her nerves, it would be better to live in a townhouse then in a dorm room, especially since it'd mean she had control over who she would be living with. And while she knew she as far from their first choice, the fact that they asked her at all meant the possibility of forming a friendship with them could happen. But she had purposely held off agreeing right away, because there was an additional prize in this arrangement she was after.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

For the next two days Emma and the others waited on tether hooks for Regina's answer. They tried to find another girl in case Regina said no, but everyone else they asked had already made living arrangements. It soon became apparent that everything was riding on what Regina's answer was.

On Wednesday night Emma went back to her room after dinner, seeing Regina studying. She was about to ask the brunette what her answer was when Regina said, "I thought it over. And I've decided I'll live with you next year."

"Really?" Emma asked, trying not to sound too relieved.

"On one condition. I share a room with Mary Margaret."

"What? Why would you want-" Emma's eyes widened as she put together what Regina was saying. "No. No that's not, how do you even know about that?"

"You and Ruby weren't exactly hiding your plans from me when you were talking about room assignments and Mary Margaret's living arrangements."

"That's not fair!" Emma yelled. "That room is mine. I'm getting it."

"Well I want it. And either I get a double to myself, or I'll go live in Arendelle," Regina replied, knowing they had no one else lined up to ask. She knew she was being cutthroat, but she had an opportunity to room in luxury and was going to take it.

Emma was an instant from screaming in her roommate's face when an idea suddenly came to her. She forced herself to calm down, knowing she's need a clear head if this was going to work. "Why don't we make a wager for it instead?"

"What do you have in mind?" Regina asked.

"A game of darts," Emma said, choosing her words very carefully. "Whoever wins gets to decide who gets that room."

Regina thought over Emma's proposal. She had grown up playing darts in her family game room. She was pretty confident she could beat the blonde. "Okay, you're on. When do you want to do this?"

"Right now. Let's go down to the rec room."

"Fine."

The two of them walked out of the room when Emma said she had to use the bathroom and would meet her down there. She slowly walked to the bathroom until she saw Regina get into the elevator, then raced to Graham's room and pounded on his door. "Please be home. Please be home," she pleaded before the door opened.

"Yes. Oh, hello Emma," he replied.

"You want to help me pull one over on Regina?"

"Um, okay," he asked uncertainly. "What do you have in mind?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina looked over as the elevator opened, frowning as she saw Graham walk out with Emma. "What's he doing here?"

"He's my champion."

"What?"

"He's playing in my stead."

"No, that's not fair," Regina insisted. "We have to play. That's what we agreed on."

" _Actually_ ," Emma insisted. "I said whoever wins gets to decide who gets the room. I never said it specifically had to be either of us playing."

Regina glared at Emma in anger, realizing the girl was right. "So Graham is playing for you?"

"That's right. You're more than welcome to find someone to play for you."

Regina's glare deepened, since they both knew she didn't have anyone to ask. Without a word she went over to the dart board, Graham close behind her.

"Look Regina-" He started to say.

"Save it," Regina simply replied as she grabbed three red winged darts, and Graham got three blue winged ones. She stepped back behind the line, deeply concentrating before throwing her darts. The first one landed on the edge of ten, the second in fifteen, and the last just in the edge of bull's eye. She smiled, knowing that would be hard to beat. "You're up."

She stood back as Graham got into position, and threw his darts. The first one landed in eight. She smiled for a moment before it immediately left her face as the second dart landed right dead center in bull's eye. She scowled as the last dart landed in eighteen, knowing she had just lost.

"Looks like I won," Graham replied. "And as the winner of this contest, I decide that Emma gets the big room in your house next year. Now if you'll excuse me, have a good night ladies."

With that he got back on the elevator, leaving the two girls to themselves. Emma looked at Regina, unable not to look pleased with how things turned out. "I believe congratulations are in order."

"You cheated," Regina softly said.

"I saw an opportunity and I took it. If you had thought of it first you would have done it."

Regina glared at Emma, hating that her roommate was in fact right. As Emma looked at Regina's disappointed face, she actually felt slightly bad for her. "Look," Emma said. "You're still living in a townhouse instead of the dorms. And you'll still be getting a single. You're just not getting one of the doubles to yourself."

"Whatever," Regina said as she walked away. _I can't believe she pulled something like that_ , Regina thought. _Though, that was kind of impressive. And you are still going to be living in a townhouse. That should be better than the dorms, even if it's with Emma and her annoying friends._

 **Author's note: The townhouses are based on the upper class student housing units that were available at the college I went to. I'm not sure how common they are at other schools, so I put detailed exposition on their set up and rules so it was clear what I was talking about.**

 **As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	13. Chapter 13

"Emma," Ruby said as she joined her friend for dinner.

"Hey Rube."

"Listen. Have you thought about where you're going to stay during the summer?"

Truth be told, Emma had given her living plans for the summer a great deal of thought, since they were now in April and the end of the school year wasn't that far ahead. She had checked her funds and saw that she had squirreled away a decent amount of money from her job at the gym. And she had checked apartment listings in Storybrook and saw there were some fairly cheap ones available. So if she could find a job and managed to live carefully, she would probably be okay.

Before she could explain this to Ruby her friend replied, "Because I've talked it over with Granny, and she said if you wanted you could live with us for the summer."

"Really?" Emma said in shock.

"Yeah."

"Ruby, that's so generous. But I don't want-"

"You're not going to be a bother. Or a nuisance, or any other reason you can come up with to say no." Ruby said, already figuring what Emma's response would be. "Besides, Granny likes you and knows you need a place to stay. She actually suggested it before I could finish asking her. She also said you can work at the diner over the summer too. Though she's not going to give you any special treatment, as you saw on Thanksgiving."

"Ruby, that's incredible. Thank you."

"No problem. That's what friends are for."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I need Mary Margaret's bed tomorrow," Regina stated as soon as she came back from class.

"Hello to you to," Emma simply said. "Why don't you try actually asking me instead of barking orders like a dictator."

Regina rolled her eyes before saying, "My sister is coming to visit me, and since we have a spare bed I'd rather have her use it instead of an air mattress. So can I please have her bed?"

"Sure. I'll have it ready by tomorrow."

"Thank you," Regina said as she sat down at her desk. As Emma continued reading her book she could sense Regina frowning at the bed. She tried to ignore it, but it was like Regina's displeasure was boring into the back of her head. After several moments she groaned in frustration as she got up and began cleaning off the textbooks, papers and other various items she had piled atop Mary Margaret's (former) bed.

"I hate you," Emma said, even though the tone of her voice didn't really match what she was saying.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The two girls sat in their room the next day when Regina's cell phone rang. "Hey, where are you?...You're here? Great, I'll be right down."

Emma continued reading as her roommate left the room. A few minutes later Regina returned with a red haired girl Emma presumed was her sister. "Charming dorm room sis," the older girl said as she surveyed the room. "It's much bigger than my freshman room was. That felt more like a closet then a room. Although it seemed bigger because the ceiling was so high."

"I remember. I don't know how you got those posters on the ceiling."

"Ingenuity and lots of climbing on furniture," the redhead replied.

Regina looked over at Emma as she put her book down. "Emma, this is my sister Zelena. Zelena, this is my roommate Emma."

To Emma's surprise Zelena gave her the coldest look she'd ever received. "I ought to ring your neck for assaulting my sister."

"Excuse me?" Emma asked in confusion

"She told me you punched in the face. No one messes with my little sis."

"Zelena," Regina said testily as she got between them to stop her sister from attacking Emma. "It's okay. It was a long time ago and we've moved past it," she said while covertly giving Emma a pleading look to go with it.

"Yeah. We talked it over and moved past it," Emma said, even though in truth neither of them had ever talked about their fist fight and had just pretended like it never happened.

"I don't care if you made nice," Zelena replied. "You've been terrorizing her since she came here."

"Listen Carrot Top," Emma replied, while trying not to be intimidated by Zelena's harsh blue eyes burning holes into her. "I don't know what your sister told you, but believe me, she gives as good as she gets. She's been much worse to me then I've been to her."

"Somehow I very much doubt that Blondie."

"Zelena, enough," Regina sternly said. "You're only here for tonight. Can we please all just get along?"

Zelena looked at her sister in surprise before rolling her eyes. "Fine, I'll play nice."

"Thank you," Regina replied. "Let's go to the café for dinner and then we can do something. Are you sure you can't stay the whole weekend?"

"I told you, I'm just stopping by for the night before heading to Vermont. I love you sis, but there's no way I'm missing The Three Witches concert tomorrow."

"You like The Three Witches," Emma couldn't help saying.

"I've been a fan of them since the beginning," Zelena haughtily replied. "Unlike most people who only heard of them after their third album came out and they had a song on the soundtrack of that idiotic vampire movie."

"Hey, I've been a fan since there first album dropped," Emma challenged. "I've been telling people to listen to them since I was in junior high."

"Really," Zelena said in disbelief. "Then I'm sure you'd know which song drummer Kelly Anne wrote for their debut album, if you're such a _huge_ fan."

Emma simply smiled, already knowing how Zelena was trying to trip her up. "Well any _real_ fan would know that Kelly Anne didn't write any songs for the band's first album _Crows on the Wind_. However, the song _Darkest Night_ was written by Zoe Scots, who was their original drummer and left the group shortly after they were signed by Constellation records. Though if you buy the deluxe rerelease of _Crows on the Wind_ there's a bonus demo track of the song _Cables Cracking_ , which has Zoe playing drums instead of Kelly."

Zelena stared at Emma, not expecting her to be as knowledgeable about her favorite band as she was. "Lucky guess," she simply replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"It's been a while since I've eaten food from a college cafeteria," Zelena said as she and Regina paid for their dinners.

"Then what do you eat when you're at school?"

"I usually go to a coffee shop or one of the local diners, or I'll eat at someone else's place. I think next year I'll ask Mom to just give me the money she'd put towards a meal plan and I'll use it to buy groceries."

The two of them made their way through the cafeteria and sat down at a table. They barely started to eat before Zelena couldn't hold her tongue anymore. "Alright, what the hell is up with you and your roommate?"

"I told you. We talked about it-"

"I don't care what you said. You told me she punched you in the face. I said I'd make her pay if I ever saw her, why won't you let me?"

"Because I punched her first," Regina reluctantly admitted.

Zelena looked at her sister, taken back by this confession. "What? You told me you two got into a fight over a guy and she punched you."

"That's not exactly what happened…" Regina said uncomfortably. "A guy I was seeing didn't want to be with me and dumped me. I blamed Emma because she convinced him to do it after he talked to her. We got into a fight, and I punched her. She punched me back, but only after I hit her first."

"That's a much different story then what you told me over Christmas break," Zelena said.

"So can you please just not start anything," Regina pleaded with her sister. "I'm living with her next year and I don't want to make things anymore awkward."

"You two are living together?" Zelena asked her.

"She and her friends needed a sixth girl for their townhouse and they asked me to join them," Regina explained.

"Are you sure that's smart?" Zelena asked. "Even if she didn't attack you, she still made your life a living hell. Or is all that a lie too?"

"No, yes…it's complicated," Regina said. "We used to hate each other. Now, we don't."

"So are you friends with her?"

"It's…it's complicated," Regina repeated, she herself not sure where she and her blonde roommate stood.

"Okay, let's not talk about that annoying wanna be witches fan anymore," Zelena stated. "So what are we going to do tonight? I'm sure there's a party going on, right? It is Friday night."

"Sure, a party. We can do that," Regina said, not wanting to tell her sister she had no idea if there was even one going on.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma looked up as Regina and Zelena came back to the room, glaring at Zelena before going back to her book.

"That pasta was way too overcooked," Zelena announced. "Reminds me why I don't eat cafeteria food at my school anymore. So, what are we doing tonight?"

"Well, they're showing the first two Godfather movies on TNT tonight," Regina suggested.

"You want to sit around watching TV?" Zelena asked. "Come on, it's Friday night, there must be something we can do. Come on, are there any parties going on?"

"Parties, sure," Regina said, trying to buy herself some time. In truth she had no idea if anyone was throwing anything. She didn't even know if Boardman was having one tonight (someone got alcohol poisoning there in February, so they hadn't been having weekly parties anymore.) But she didn't want to tell Zelena that and have her think she was a dorky shut in.

Emma looked on, knowing Regina was clearly stalling and didn't have anything planned. As she looked at her she felt bad for the girl. It couldn't be easy to tell your sister you had nowhere to go on a Friday night because you don't have any friends and didn't know anyone.

Before she could talk herself out of it Emma suddenly said, "Regina, you didn't forget about our poker game tonight, did you?"

"What?" Regina said.

"Killian's poker game? You asked me if you could play next time he was having one. I told you he was having a game tonight and you could play. You're welcome to come to Zelena. He won't mind adding a seventh player. Especially if they're a girl he can hit on."

"Okay, that sounds good. I haven't played poker since last year," Zelena said, covertly catching the look of relief and gratitude her sister gave Emma.

"Great, let me just tell Killian what's up," Emma said as she grabbed her phone. Though instead of texting Killian, she texted Ruby.

Emma: I need a favor. Is it alright if Regina takes your place in Killian's poker game tonight?

Ruby: You want to play poker with her instead of me?

Emma: It's a long story. I'll tell you about it later. But it would really help her out.

Ruby: Okay, fine. Belle had originally invited me to a poetry reading at the library. I guess I'll go do that.

Emma: Great, thanks a bunch. I owe you one.

Ruby: Yeah, you do.

After quickly texting Killian to tell him the change of plans and to ask him to act like this had been planned before tonight, Emma said to the two sisters. "Okay, it's all set. He said to be at his townhouse in half an hour."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, that was a fun night," Zelena said as they came back to the dorm room.

"Yeah, for you," Emma stated. "You won practically every hand. I thought Smee was going to kill you when you beat his four kings."

"That was something when he started screaming 'I don't care if you're trying to score, stop bringing ringers Killian!' before trying to flip the table over," Regina said.

"He was a baby, I should have taken that stupid cap of his," Zelena said with a cackle.

"Killian seemed to like you," Regina stated. "He didn't stop staring at you all night."

"Yeah well, I don't believe that story about his fingers for a second," Zelena said. "'A crocodile bit them off when I was at the zoo.' Come on."

"He changes it every so often," Emma explained. "That's the one he usually uses when he's trying to impress someone. That and the version where he lost them in a sword fight on the high seas."

"Does anyone know what really happened?" Regina asked.

"Not that I'm aware," Emma said.

As Regina nodded her head she felt real gratitude towards Emma for helping her out tonight. She made sure Zelena wasn't looking before mouthing 'thank you' to her roommate. To which Emma simply nodded her head in understanding. "Okay, I'm going to run to the bathroom, I'll be back in a bit," Regina said.

"K," Zelena said as Regina left. She and Emma looked at each other awkwardly before she said, "I want to thank you for tonight."

"It's no problem. The others might have been mad, but Killian was fine with you playing."

"I was talking about what you did for Regina," Zelena clarified. "I'm not an idiot. I know she hadn't been invited to your game and you only invited us because she didn't have any other plans for tonight. That was really nice of you to do. And even if she won't admit it, I know she's grateful for what you did. So thank you for looking out for my little sis."

"No problem," Emma said in surprise, not used to this warmer version of Zelena after their first meeting earlier.

"Though I was serious before. Hurt my sister and I will come after you."

"Okay," Emma said, fully believing the red head. She watched as Zelena got an apple from the crate in Regina's closet. "I'd be careful there. She really liked those apples."

"I'm family, I get a pass. Though I heard about you giving away a crate of them. I'm surprised she didn't kill you."

"Okay, can you tell me what's so special about those apples?" Emma asked. "She acts like they have gold in them or something."

"You really don't know?" Zelena asked the blonde. "When Regina was born our father planted an apple tree for her. And the two of them tended to it together as she grew up. It became their special thing."

"Oh," Emma replied, not expecting that.

"Yeah. It's always been special to her. But after our dad died it's meant even more to her."

"Wait, Regina's father's dead?" Emma asked in shock.

"She never told you that either?" Zelena asked.

"No, she never mentioned it. What happened, was he sick?"

Zelena hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell Emma, since she figured the blonde could easily find the info on-line if she did a google search. "He was at a store during a robbery and was shot and killed."

"Oh my God," Emma said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you," Zelena shortly replied. "It's been hard on all of us, but it's been hardest on Regina. Especially when her boyfriend died a month before that."

"Wait, she had a boyfriend who died?" Emma asked.

"Fuck," Zelena said in annoyance. "She was keeping that to herself also. And now I just told you."

"Okay, I won't say anything to her. But what happened."

Zelena groaned, not wanting to betray her sister anymore then she already did. "He got into a car accident during a rainstorm. That's all I'm going to say if she's keeping it to herself."

"I promise I won't say anything," Emma said, while wondering if the boyfriend was the Daniel guy Regina had mentioned.

Just then the door opened. Zelena tossed the partially eaten apple to Emma just as Regina walked in. "I saw her. She took one of your apples," Zelena said, pointing at Emma.

"She's lying. She took it and just threw it at me. I didn't take your apple, I swear," Emma insisted.

Regina looked at the two girls as her eyes narrowed at Zelena. "Did you take it?"

"Okay, fine. You caught me."

"You're evil," Regina said with a grin.

"Hey. You're the evil one, I'm the wicked one," Zelena stated. "At least that's what mom says whenever we're in real trouble."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma sighed as she woke up the next morning. She started sitting up before letting out a shriek at seeing a completely naked Zelena. "What the hell?"

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Zelena asked.

"Why are you naked?" Emma asked as she laid back down and stared straight up at the ceiling.

"I'm getting ready to leave and I took a shower," Zelena nonchalantly replied as she put on a pair of panties and applied deodorant.

"And you couldn't have gotten dressed in the bathroom?" Emma asked in exasperation.

"You were asleep when I came back. It's not my fault you caught an eyeful," Zelena replied as she dug through her bag for fresh clothes and finished getting dressed.

"I'm back," Regina replied as she came in with coffee and muffins.

"Great, I can use that," Zelena said as she took a cup and drank deeply from it. "Nectar of the gods. Okay, I've got to go. Thanks for letting me crash here."

"Alright, enjoy the concert," Regina said.

"Will do," Zelena said as she quickly threw the rest of her stuff in her duffle. "Nice meeting you Em."

"Bye," Emma said as Zelena hugged her sister and then left. "Okay, next time you have someone spend the night please tell me if they like to walk around naked. I didn't need to know your sister is indeed a natural redhead."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As the day went on Emma thought about Regina and the loses in her life. She had had no idea Regina had lost her father and boyfriend. It made her realize she really didn't know much about the girl at all. They had been living together for almost eight months and she barely knew anything about her.

After dinner she came back to her room, not surprised to see Regina reading a textbook. She looked at her for a moment before saying, "Do you want to do something?"

"Excuse me?" Regina asked.

"Do you want to go out and do something?" Emma repeated.

"Why?" Regina asked.

Emma hesitated for a moment before deciding to go with the truth. "Because we've been roommates since school started and I don't really know much about you. I was hoping we could go out and I could maybe get to know you better than I already do."

Regina looked at Emma, trying to decide if this was a trick or something. Her curiosity got the best of her though, and she marked the place in her book before putting it down. "Okay, where did you want to go?"

"We can go to the diner downtown and get a coffee?" Emma suggested.

"Sounds good."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma drew patterns on the side of her cup of hot chocolate as both girls sat at a booth awkwardly. Despite having lived together for months, this was probably the first time they had really done anything together. And neither of them was sure how to proceed.

Deciding to take the first step Emma asked, "So, what do you like to do?"

"What do you mean?" Regina asked.

"I mean what do you do for fun? All I've ever seen you do is study and read. Even Belle doesn't study as much as you do. There has to be something else Regina Mills likes doing. So, what else do you like to do?"

Regina took a sip of her coffee before replying, "I like to go horseback riding. I've been riding since I was a kid. I have a steed at home, Rocinante, that I've helped raise since he was a colt." She smiled as she thought about her horse. "I can't wait to ride him again when I go home for the summer."

As Emma looked at Regina she realized just how gorgeous the girl was when she smiled _. So she has a nice smile_ , she thought _. So what, that doesn't mean anything_. "I've only been on a horse once, when I was seven. I was nervous and the horse kept whining and trying to bounce me off it."

"It doesn't sound like he was well trained," Regina replied.

"Yeah, he probably wasn't broken in or something."

"I hate that term for a horse, breaking it in," Regina replied seriously. "You don't break a horse. You gain its trust through nurture and gentle but firm training. That way when it's time to ride them, they accept you and want you to ride them. Then it's much easier and rewarding to train them."

"You really like horses," Emma said.

"I love them. I've thought about opening my own riding stables someday, even though my mom wants me to do something more with my life."

"Well, I say you should do whatever makes you happy," Emma said.

The two of them talked for over an hour, learning different things about one another. It was the first time they had truly gotten along since they met. As the night went on both girls found they enjoyed each other's company, and were glad they were finally getting to know each other.

And then of course everything had to be ruined.

"Girls, would you mind paying now," their waitress asked as she handed them their check. "You can keep sitting here talking, but I'm looking to cash out and leave."

"Sure," Regina said as the waitress left. "I've got this."

"That's okay," Emma said. "I can pay for my own drink and bear claw."

"I insist, I've got it." Regina insisted.

"I can pay for my own," Emma said.

"Just let me get this," Regina said.

"What's your problem," Emma said, feeling like she was being boxed in. "I said I can pay for myself."

"It's not that big a deal," Regina said. "It's just a few bucks."

"Exactly. So I don't get why you're insisting on paying for me."

"I'm just trying to be nice," Regina insisted. "It's not that much money and I can afford-" She quickly stopped as she saw the look on Emma's face. "I meant-"

"No, I know what you meant. Poor Emma can't afford a meal, so rich Regina swoops in to save the day," Emma said. "You just can't help showing me up now, can you."

"I was just trying to do something nice for you," Regina angrily said. "Not everything is a power trip. Sometimes a nice gesture is just that." With that Regina threw some money on the table before storming out of the diner.

"Shit," Emma said as she realized she'd screwed up. She ran out of the diner, seeing Regina briskly walking down the side walk. "Regina, wait up!"

"Go away Swan!" Regina yelled.

"I'm sorry, okay."

"I don't care!" Regina said as she stepped into the road before turning back to look at Emma. "I can't do one nice thing without you thinking I'm out to get you. Everyone thinks I'm this evil bitch, but you're just as bad. You can't let anyone-"

It was then that she heard the sound of a roaring engine. She looked out into the road and was blinded by approaching headlights. She had an instant to realize what was about to happen when she was struck in the side and went flying into the road.

It took her a moment to realize she wasn't dead. And while she was sore, she didn't feel like she had just been hit by a car. She opened her eyes, seeing Emma lying on top of her. "Are you okay?" Emma asked, her voice soft with worry.

While Regina didn't answer, her face seemed to convince Emma she was fine. Emma got up and helped Regina to her feet before screaming into the night. "Fucking asshole! You could have killed someone! That guy didn't even slow down. Did you get his license plate? Someone should report him. He's going to kill someone speeding like that." She looked down, seeing she only had one sneaker on. "Shit, my shoe. It must have come off when we went into the road."

As Emma searched for her sneaker Regina stood still, piecing together what had just happened. Emma had apparently pushed her out of the way of an oncoming car, stopping her from being hit _. I could have died if not for her_ , she thought. _Or been paralyzed or brain dead or who knows what. She saved my life._

"I can't find it," Emma said as she came back. "The car must have sent it flying or something. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Regina said, pretending she wasn't shaken by what happened.

"No problem," Emma simply said. She took off her other sneaker to even out her footing before they set off back to campus.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that night Regina lay awake in bed, thinking over what had happened. Despite everything that had happened between them, even having a fight mere moments before the incident, Emma risked her life to save her. She threw herself in front of her without a moment's hesitation, not even thinking of the possibility that she could have been struck herself. That was…Regina couldn't remember the last time someone who wasn't family would have done anything like that for her.

As she thought about that, Regina felt deep shame over everything she had done to Emma since the school year began, especially almost getting her kicked out of school. Despite what she had said before the car came, she had treated Emma much worse than the blonde had treated her. And even after everything Emma risked her own life to save her. She truly was a good person. And she deserved better.

With that Regina got out of bed and tip toed to Emma's bed. Careful not to wake the blonde Regina took the lone sneaker Emma had brought back and took it to her desk. She turned on her lap top and searched on-line before she found a really good pair of sneakers to replace them. It was going to be pricy, especially since she was paying extra for rush delivery. And her mom had told her to only use her credit card for emergencies. But given the circumstances, she was sure her mother would approve.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The next afternoon Emma came back to her room to find a package on her bed. She looked at it, seeing the shipping address was for Regina. "Why did you put your package on my bed?"

"Because I got it for you," Regina explained as she got up and walked over to Emma. "For saving my life last night."

"You really didn't have to do tha-"

"Can you just open it," Regina said impatiently.

Emma looked at Regina, seeing how nervous she was. "Okay." She tore off the packing tape and opened the box, gasping when she saw its contents. It was a new pair of white sneakers. While they looked similar to her old pair, she could tell they were a very high quality sneaker. She pulled them out, admiring how nice they looked. While she was no expert, she guessed they easily cost two hundred dollars or more. "Regina, you really didn't have to do this."

"Yes I did. You saved my life last night."

"That doesn't mean you had to-"

"I could have died last night," Regina emotionally stated, tears running down her face over the full weight of what she was saying. "I could have died, or been paralyzed, or a vegetable, or who knows what else. But I'm here now because you saved my life. I've been a complete bitch to you and you saved my life."

"Of course I did. Despite everything between us, I don't want you to die." Emma said, shocked by how emotional Regina was.

Regina sniffed, feeling as if the new sneakers weren't enough to make up for everything. Before she could stop herself she blurted out, "I was the one who got that article published of you going to juvenile hall. I was mad at you because of the apples and wanted to get back at you. So I got the info and gave it to Sydney to have it published, with the intent that Spencer would see it and kick you out of school over it."

Emma stared at Regina, shocked by what she was hearing. While she had suspected from the beginning that Regina was responsible for the article, she never imagined the brunette would openly confess like this. "I…those records were sealed. How did you even get them?"

"I went to Gold and asked him to help me get you expelled. He got me the info and told me to publish it. I don't know how he got it."

Emma stood there dumbfounded over what she had just heard. She was well aware of the rumors of the guy, but she never imagined he'd have the power to obtain sealed police documents. "Son of a bitch," she said softly. She looked at Regina, feeling angry over what she had just heard. "You did all that just because I took your stupid apples?"

"I'm sorry. I was angry and I overreacted."

"That's a huge overreaction," Emma stated.

"I'm sorry," Regina tearfully replied. "I'm sorry for everything. For the article, for punching you, for giving you such grief this whole year. I was a complete bitch and you still risked your life for me. I don't deserve to have you in my life."

"Fuck," Emma said softly. Despite everything, Emma actually felt terrible at seeing Regina break down in front of her. "It's okay," she said as she pulled the girl into a hug. "It's alright." She rubbed Regina's back, holding onto her as the girl cried. As she held onto Regina she felt the girl let out a deep sigh, the kind you hold in for months, even years. It made her feel like Regina needed someone to hug her.

"I'm sorry too. For giving away those apples," she said as she gently pulled back. "Yes, what you did was the over reaction of a lifetime. But I shouldn't have given them away like that." She paused a moment before saying, "Zelena said they come from a tree you and your father planted. And…that they mean a lot to you after he died."

Regina sighed shakily over hearing that. "She told you that."

"Yes, she did. I had no idea what they meant to you when I gave them away. I thought you just got them from a grocery store. If I had known…I'm sorry."

"Thank you. Though I probably had it coming overall." She stepped away, not sure what to do next. "So…enjoy your sneakers."

At seeing her awkwardness Emma said, "I'm going to café to get dinner with the others in a little while. Want to join us?"

"I'd like that," Regina replied, glad that Emma was trying to include her.

That evening Regina joined Emma, Mary Margaret, Ruby, Belle, David, Killian and Ariel in the cafeteria for dinner. While they were a bit surprised to see her, Emma made sure she felt welcome. She mostly listened to them as they talked, though she did contribute at times. It was actually fun and comforting, and it ended up being one of the best dinners she had at school that year.


	14. Chapter 14

The rest of the semester seemed to fly by, and before Emma and Regina knew it finals were upon them. Both girls (along with their friends) buckled down and devoted all their free time to studying so they could finish off the year strong. Emma was particularly worried about one of her finals. She had gotten C's on two earlier tests and needed to get a high A on the final to guarantee she'd get at least a B in the class and wouldn't lose her scholarship. Luckily she was now friends with Regina, who offered to help her study. She made flash cards and practice tests and worked with Emma to know the material backwards and forwards. And her effort paid off, for she ended up getting a 98 on the final.

In the end Emma's final grades for her classes were 3 A's, an A-, and a B+. She sighed in relief when she found out how well she had done. She might not have done as well as say Regina (who had the highest GPA in their class) or Belle (who had the highest GPA in the entire school), but she was still in the high percentile. And more importantly, she was in no danger of losing her much needed scholarship.

Lucky for her she had Regina, who had made sure she could stay.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Everything looks good," the fourth floor RA said as he finished inspecting Ruby's room. "Since your roommate already left just close and lock the door when you leave and turn in your key at the front desk."

"Thanks!" Ruby called out as the RA left before checking over the room one more time to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

"Hey," Emma said as she came to the door. "You pass inspection."

"Yup, no problem."

"Cool," Emma replied before she felt herself being pulled into a tight hug. "Hey-"

"I'm going to miss you," Mary Margaret said before releasing Emma and hugging Ruby. "Both of you."

"Calm down, it's just for the summer," Emma exclaimed. "We'll see each other in a few months."

"If this is how you're acting to us leaving, I don't even want to imagine what your goodbye to David was like," Ruby said.

"Probably involved acts of passion not suitable for children to hear," Emma said with a chuckle.

"Shut up," Mary Margaret replied good naturedly as she released Ruby.

"You should come by for Fourth of July," Ruby told her friend. "Granny throws a big party every year."

"I'll see if I'm free," Mary Margaret said.

"Good," Ruby said as she picked up the last of her boxes. "Bye M M,"

"See yeah Mary Margaret," Emma said.

"Bye! See yeah," their friend replied as she went to say goodbye to other people.

The two girls made their way to the lobby so Ruby could hand in her keys, then went outside, where Granny was waiting by her already filled car. "You two about ready?"

"Yup, just finished checking out," Ruby stated as she put the last of her stuff in the trunk.

"What about you? Where's your stuff?" Granny asked Emma.

"Most of my stuff I put in storage," Emma explained, figuring it was inconvenient to move everything back and forth. "I'm just bringing a couple bags of clothes and my laptop to your place, and I put that in my car already."

"That's all you're bringing with you for the summer?" Granny asked.

"That's all I need," she simply replied, not revealing she didn't want to wear out her welcome by having all her stuff take up a lot of room.

Granny sighed, sensing there's more to it than she was saying, before stating, "Alright. Are you ready to go then?"

"I just need to turn in my key and say goodbye to my roommate."

"Alright. We'll wait until you're done and then we can leave."

"Okay, I'll be back in a bit," Emma said before going back inside. As she got in the elevator and went to the sixth floor she thought about how much she was going to miss her dorm room. While she was happy she'd be living in a townhouse next year, that room would always mean a lot to her. It was the first place she had truly felt to be home. And that was a feeling she'd always cherish.

As she walked into the room she saw Regina putting several outfits into a garment bag while her mother zipped up an overstuffed suitcase. "I think you have more stuff now than when you first moved in. Next year you're definitely bringing less stuff," Cora exclaimed.

"Yes mother," Regina simply replied.

"Hello Mrs. Mills," Emma said.

"Hello…Emma, right?" Cora asked.

"Yup."

"Very good," Cora said.

Regina hung the garment bag on the door handle and went over to Emma. "So I guess you're leaving then?"

"That's the plan. Just have to drop my key off and then I'm off to Ruby's."

"Great," Regina replied. Both girls stood in front of one another, not sure how best to say goodbye after everything that had happened between them that year. Finally, Regina leaned in and lightly put her arms around Emma. Emma did the same, both of them giving each other a somewhat awkward hug.

"I think I'm actually going to miss you," Regina said as she pulled back.

"Thanks your majesty," Emma said lightly, unable to keep from smiling at Regina's statement. "I'm actually going to miss you too. You're going to be here for room inspection, right?"

"I still have some packing to do, so yes."

"I told you to get it all done last night," Emma exclaimed, still surprised for once she was more responsible than her stickler roommate usually was.

"I got most of it done last night. I didn't think the rest was going to take this long."

"Regina!" Cora huffed, gesturing to the clothes that still needed to be packed up. "Can we finish this? I don't want to be here all day."

"Alright, I don't want to get you in trouble. Have a good summer and I'll see you next year. Bye," Emma said.

"Bye," Regina replied, looking almost mournfully as Emma left the room.

XXXXXXXXXXX

It didn't take long for Emma to fall into a daily routine. She'd get up and get dressed, then go to waitress at Granny's diner. It could be stressful at times, especially when the weekend rush hit, but Emma worked hard and did her job well. And between Granny's wages and tips Emma was making more money a week then she did working at the gym at school. At first she had planned to pay rent for staying at Granny's house over the summer. But Granny immediately shot that idea down, insisting Emma was a guest and didn't have to pay anything to stay.

When work was over she'd go out and do something with Ruby, or they'd stay in and watch TV or play video games. Or if they worked different schedules Emma would do something herself. She liked to go to the nearby park and read a book in the shade. Or she'd simply people watch.

True, there were days that broke up the monotony. Like Fourth of July when Mary Margaret and Belle came over and the four girls went to the park to watch fireworks. Or the day Emma and Ruby went on a day trip to the beach and Emma's car broke down where there was no cell service, forcing them to walk several miles so they could call a tow truck. But for the most park things remained the same throughout the summer for Emma. At least for the first two months.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 _One more month_ , Regina thought as she finished another chapter of the book she was reading. She was bored and wanted very much to be back at school. At first it had been nice to come home and be away from having to do school work. But now she was ready to go back. She missed being on her own and college life. Hell, at this point she was even looking forward to seeing her insufferable housemates again.

Just then her phone starting ringing. Her eyes widened as she looked at the screen, since the caller was someone she hadn't heard from in a long time. "Mal?"

" _Hello Regina._ "

"Hi. How's it going? I haven't heard from you in…over two years."

" _Sounds about right. Sorry for not keeping in better touch. Cell service wasn't usually reliable. And I regret that I couldn't be at your dad's funeral. If I could have scraped together money for a plane ticket I would have been there._ "

"Thank you. I know how hard it would have been for you to have made it. Especially with not much notice. That was a very thoughtful text message you sent. So, how are you? How's back packing around Europe going?

" _I'm back in the states. It was amazing, but I was finally ready to some back. I'm living in Maine again, so I wanted to see if you wanted to come by so we can see each other_."

"Sure, that'd be great," Regina replied. "Are you living in Litchfield again?"

" _No, I got a place in Summersville. It's about an hour from your place. I got an internship at city hall, but it doesn't start until September. So I'm pretty open for August. Could you come by on Friday?_ "

"Hold on a sec." Regina quickly checked her schedule before replying, "Yes, I'm free then."

" _Super. I'll text you my address and directions._ "

"Great."

The two of them chatted for a bit before ending the call, since they would be seeing each other in a few days. As Regina pulled up a map to plot a route she noticed Summersville wasn't that far from where Ruby lived. With that realization an idea started forming, to where she might be able to see two friends.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma frowned at her cell phone, seeing the caller was unknown. "Hello?"

" _Emma_?"

"Regina," she replied in surprise. "How did you get my number?"

" _It was on the roommate contact sheet we got last year_."

"Right," Emma said, feeling foolish for not realizing that. "How are you? How's your summer been?"

" _Fine. I'm ready to go back to school though. How's yours been?_ "

"Busy. Been waitressing at Granny's diner almost every day."

" _That's good. The reason I called is my friend Mal is back from Europe and wants me to come visit her. Since she's living not far from where you are now, I wanted to see if you wanted to come with me in seeing her._ "

"You want me to come with you while you visit a friend?" Emma asked.

" _Yes. I haven't seen her in almost three years, and I haven't seen you since school ended. This way I can see two friends at once._ "

Emma thought about it for a second, not sure how to reply to Regina's odd request. "When does she want to do this?"

" _She said this Friday, but her schedule's pretty open. So if that's not good for you we can reschedule._ "

Emma quickly looked at her schedule, seeing she was actually free that day. "Just checked and I'm free this Friday."

" _Great. So you can go?_ "

Emma inwardly melted at hearing just how vulnerable and hopeful Regina sounded, which pretty much made her decision for her. "Sure, I'll go with you."

" _Great. I'll text you the address and get back to you on when exactly she wants us to come over._ "

"Okay, sounds good."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma sat in her car, which was parked in front of Mal's place. As she waited for Regina to arrive she again wondered if this was a good idea. She kept remembering how awkward it had been hanging out with Mary Margaret's friends over Christmas break. What if Regina and this Mal ignored her too _? If that happens I'm leaving,_ she thought.

She looked out her window as a sleek Mercedes pulled up behind her, surprised when she saw Regina get out of the car. "Where'd you get the car?" Emma asked as she got out of the bug.

"My mom got it for me. She was going to buy me a car when I graduated high school, but she waited a year since freshman can't have cars on campus."

"I'm well aware," Emma said, remembering all the hoops she went through to allow her to have her car on campus last year. "So, what's your friend like anyway?"

"She's fun to be around. I haven't seen her in over two years. I'm hoping she hasn't changed that much."

They walked around to the side of the house and went down a flight of stone stairs to the basement apartment and rang the doorbell, which was opened by a woman with long unruly blonde hair. "Regina, hello."

"Hello Mal."

"And you must be Regina's college friend Emma," Mal stated.

"Yup, that's me."

"Wonderful. Come in, come in. You want something to drink? I can open one of the bottles of wine I got from Italy."

"I'm good," Emma replied. "I have to drive back later."

"Same," Regina said.

"Suit yourselves," Mal replied as they went to the living area, Regina and Emma sitting on the couch while Mal sat in a chair. "Like the new hairstyle Regina. Last time I saw you it was much longer than it is now."

"Thanks," Regina said, lightly tugging on her hair. "It's a little longer now than when I first cut it. I'm not sure if I should cut it again or let it keep growing."

"I'm sure it'd look good long," Emma blurted out.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, that's sweet," Mal said with a chuckle. "So, are you two…? She asked, waving her finger between them.

The girls looked at her in confusion before it dawned on them what Mal was implying. "Oh, no," Emma quickly said. "We're just friends."

"Right, friends," Regina said. "And I'm straight, remember?"

"My mistake," Mal said, smiling as if she knew something they didn't.

"Regina said you were backpacking in Europe," Emma said, wanting to steer away from the current topic. "How was that?"

"Very good. Especially since I stayed away from tourist traps and saw the real countries. Although working odd jobs and constantly living in hostels gets irritating after a while. That's why I finally came back."

"I'd like to go to Italy someday," Regina said. "I'm told I still have distant family there."

"It's a wonderful country. I spent two months in the Mediterranean Basin. I loved it there," Mal stated. She glanced over at the TV before asking, "Do you two want to play Call of Duty?"

"Sure," Regina and Emma answered, giggling over having replied at the same time. Mal got up and turned on her xbox before sitting on the couch and handing out controllers.

"Alright, let's do this."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Bye, thanks again for having us over," Regina said as they readied to leave.

"My pleasure," Mal replied. "Hopefully we don't go another two years before seeing each other again. Nice meeting you Emma."

"Same. See yeah," Emma said as she and Regina walked out of the apartment. "That wasn't bad."

"You're acting like you were expecting it to be terrible," Regina stated.

"It's just…when I stayed at Mary Margaret's over Christmas and we hung out with her friends, they all basically ignored me. So I wasn't sure what to expect regarding today."

"I know she's your friend. But…"

"But what?" Emma asked.

"I just think Mary Margaret doesn't always realize her actions hurt people," Regina quickly plowed through. "I know she's nice and everything, but sometimes she thinks and does things that can be selfish or hurtful, and she doesn't realize it."

"That's a bit harsh," Emma said, even though she secretly didn't think Regina was 100% wrong.

"That's just what I think. Doesn't mean you have to agree with me."

Emma nodded her head over that before saying, "I'm glad I got to see you today.

"Me to," Regina replied with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As the rest of the summer unfolded Emma and Regina found themselves communicating with each other fairly frequently. It wasn't unusual for them to text each other at random intervals throughout the day. And once they discovered they both watched the show Amazing Race, they would call each other and watch each week's episode together over the phone. By the end of August they both found they were really looking forward to seeing each other again.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Eventually summer came to a close, and it was time to head back to school. At first Granny was going to accompany Emma and Ruby, but they said that wasn't necessary. They were able to fit all their stuff into Emma's bug, so they were able to go themselves.

"Thank you again for letting me stay the summer," Emma wholeheartedly said to Granny as they readied to leave.

"It was my pleasure," Granny replied. "Anytime you need to stay, don't hesitate to come. You have a standing invitation."

"Thank you so much."

"Bye Granny," Ruby said, hugging her grandmother goodbye.

"Bye Ruby. Call me when you get in,"

"Will do. See yeah!" Ruby cried out as the girls got in the car and set off.

With traffic they made it back to school in about two and a half hours. Once they signed in at registration and got their house keys they parked in one of the townhouse parking lots and went to Townhouse 25, their new home for the next year.

"Hello!" Ruby called out as they walked into the house.

"Ruby! Emma!" Mary Margaret yelled as she ran over and hugged the girls. "How are you?"

"We're good," Emma replied. "Is anyone else here?"

"Belle and Ariel got here before me. Ariel went to visit people once her stuff was in her room, but she said she'll be back around dinnertime. Belle brought her stuff in and then she and her dad went to buy her textbooks."

"Hello girls," Eva said as she came over. "How was your summer?"

"It was good," Ruby said to Mary Margaret's mother. "Worked a lot and had a lot of fun."

"That's good to hear. Let's just get the rest of my daughter's stuff in and then you three can catch up. Leopold!"

"What!" Mary Margaret's father cried out, who was sitting in a chair in the living room as if it was a throne.

"Can you please get up and help!"

"I drove all the way up here and I'm driving back. Let me relax for a few minutes."

Eva sighed as she and her daughter went outside to further unpack the car. Emma and Ruby exchanged a look before going out to the bug to bring in their own stuff. They just finished bringing in everything when Emma looked up apprehensively as someone else came to the door. She smiled as the door opened and Regina came walking in. "Regina."

"Emma, hey," Regina replied as the blonde came over to her. "How are you?"

"I'm good. You?"

"Good."

"Hi Regina!" Ruby called out from downstairs.

"Hey Ruby!"

"Regina," Cora said as she came in holding a box. "Come on; let's get your stuff in the house."

"Okay," Regina said as she looked at the two top floor bedrooms. "Ariel's stuff is in the room with the brock wall, so it looks like mine is the one by the upstairs bathroom."

"Fine. Hello again Emma," Cora said as she hastily put the box in the empty bedroom.

"Hello Mrs. Mills," Emma said as Cora quickly walked out of the townhouse. "Is she mad?"

"She has a meeting tomorrow, so she wants to get home so she can prepare for it."

"Hello there." The two girls looked over as Leopold got up and made his way over to them. "I'm Mary Margaret's father, Leopold. You were her roommate last year, right?"

"Yes I was," Regina simply said as the older man stared at her.

"I remember you from the college pictures Mary Margaret showed me. Any friend of my daughter's is a friend of mine," he said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks," Regina said with uncertainty, uncomfortable with what was transpiring.

Just as Emma was about to say something they all heard Mary Margaret's mother yell out from downstairs. "Leopold, can you please give me a hand!"

"Be right down! Nice to meet you," he said before going downstairs.

"That was weird, right?" Regina said.

"Yeah, definitely creepy," Emma replied, remembering the disturbing way he had looked at Regina's picture last Christmas. She was about to mention that to Regina when Cora stuck her head in the door frame. "Regina," she sternly stated. "Come and help me. I want to be on the road within the hour."

"Coming mother," Regina said as she hastily followed her mother outside.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay and help you unpack?" Eva asked her daughter.

"No I'm fine. I can do it myself. Plus you two have a long drive back home."

"Okay then. Well, goodbye Mary Margaret," her mother said as she hugged her daughter tightly. "Don't be afraid to call us."

"Goodbye Mary Margaret," Leopold said as he hugged his daughter, quietly slipping some money into her hand. "Here you go. For groceries and such."

"Thanks dad."

"It was nice seeing you again Emma," Eva said. "You're welcome to come to our place for Christmas again."

"I'll see," Emma replied, as she wasn't sure if she wanted a repeat of last year.

"Bye mom, bye dad," Mary Margaret replied as her parents walked upstairs. She waited until they were out the door and drove away before phoning David. "Hey…I'm good. My parents just left. So whenever you're free you can come by and we can bring my stuff over…great, see you then. He said he'll be over in a bit," Mary Margaret told Emma.

"Okay," Emma replied. "So, are you bringing everything over there or are you leaving some stuff here?"

"I'm not taking everything, in case my parents decide to come up to visit. Or if I want to come back here for some reason. I'm leaving some clothes here and a few other things. But most of it is going to David's."

"Okay," Emma said. "I only need one closet, so you can put stuff in the other one."

"Thanks," Mary Margaret said. She pulled out clothes from one of her bags and started hanging up dresses and shirts in the closet before putting other various items on the closet floor. "What about your stuff? You can't just have those three bags with you."

"The rest is in storage. The place isn't open today so I'm getting it all tomorrow."

"Hello!" David called out from upstairs.

"Down here!" Mary Margaret excitedly yelled as David came down the stairs, leaping into his arms and kissing him deeply. "Hey you."

"Hey beautiful," David said as he kissed her back, the two of them quickly going into full on make out mode.

"Nope, this isn't awkward at all," Emma sarcastically stated.

"Sorry," Mary Margaret said with a grin as she separated from her boyfriend.

"How was your summer Emma," David asked.

"It was good. Yours?"

"Good. Helped out at my Aunt's farm for a few weeks, so there was that."

"My boyfriend the farm boy," Mary Margaret said good naturedly.

"Yeah, okay. Let's get your stuff over to my place," he said.

"I'll help pack your car," Emma said. "Oh, remember Ruby said she wants all of us here tonight. Kind of a house bonding girl's night thing. So you have to be back here by seven M M."

"Okay. Looks like you're on your own tonight," Mary Margaret told her boyfriend.

"I'm sure I'll manage," He simply replied.

They got David's truck packed fairly quickly. Once everything was situated the happy couple drove off to their new place, leaving Emma to take stock of her new room. There wasn't much she could do right away, since most of her stuff wasn't there. But she had some ideas on how she could make it a good living space. In the meantime she pushed the two dorm beds together so she'd have one big bed to sleep with.

"Knock knock," Regina said as she knocked on the open door.

"Hey. Is your mom still here?"

"She left a little while ago." She stepped into the room, looking it over. "So this is your room."

"Bet you're regretting not beating Graham in darts now," Emma said, cringing at how bitchy that must have sounded.

"I'll admit, it would have been nice to live here," Regina simply replied. "Though I'm fine with the room I have."

"Well, you're always welcome to hang out here," Emma stated. "Plus, we can watch the rest of Amazing Race in here."

"We'll do no such thing," Regina stated. "We'll watching that on the big TV in the living room. Want to see my room?"

"Okay, sure," Emma said as they walked up the stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay girls," Ruby announced after the girls ordered pizza. "So to kick off living together, we're going to play Karaoke Revolution," she said as she showed off the video game. "I found it at a yard sale over the summer."

There was general murmuring as Ariel asked, "How does this work?"

"We'll split into teams of two, and both people on the team sing a song" Ruby explained as she set up the game and plugged in the microphones. "The game measures how in pitch you sing. So whoever sings the best wins."

"I'm with Regina," Emma announced.

"K," Ruby said. "I'll go with Mary Margaret, and Belle and Ariel can be the other team."

"Sounds good," Belle said as everyone sat next to their respective partners. First Mary Margaret and Ruby went, singing to _ABC_. Then it was Belle and Ariel's turn, who picked _Love is a Battlefield_. Finally it was Emma and Regina's turn. They scrolled through the choices as they looked at the selection.

"I think we should pick…" Regina said as she looked the songs over.

"Nope, found it," Emma said, quickly picking the song. Regina rolled her eyes as the song began and they started to sing.

"Guess this means you're sorry.

You're standing at my door.

Guess this means you take back all you said before.

Like how much you wanted anyone but me.

Said you'd never come back, but here you are again.

Cuz we belong together now, yeah!

Forever united here somehow, yeah!

You got a piece of me!

And honestly!

My life, my life!

Would suck, would suck!

Without you!"

With that Belle and Ariel quickly got up off the couch as Emma jumped on top of it, pulling Regina up with her. The two girls playfully jumped around as they continued to belt out Kelly Clarkson, grinning like idiots as they looked at each other.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 _That doesn't seem like it's going to be that bad_ , Emma thought as she left class. _Course, it's only the first day, so it's a little early to tell. I could end up hating it._

Since her next class wasn't for a few hours Emma went to go get some lunch. She paid for her meal and looked around the cafeteria, seeing if anyone else she knew was having lunch. As she scanned the room she noticed a girl with almost white blond hair sitting by herself. Deciding to be friendly Emma went over to her. "Hello. Mind if I sit here?"

"Okay," the girl said uncertainly.

"I'm Emma."

"Elsa."

"I'm guessing you're a freshman, since I don't remember seeing you last year."

"I'm actually a transfer student. Luckily all my credits transferred so I didn't have to do freshman year again."

Emma nodded her head at that info as she ate her lunch. "So, what do you think of SBU so far?"

"It's not bad. Smaller than my last school, but not bad."

"You'll get used to it. Though I will tell you it gets very cold during winter."

"The cold doesn't bother me," Elsa answered truthfully.

Emma looked at Elsa, thinking she was quite attractive. _You should ask her out_ , she found herself thinking. _Remember what Ruby told you over the summer. You won't find anyone if you don't try._

"Listen. Do you want come over to my townhouse tonight? We could watch TV or put on a movie."

"Um, sure," Elsa answered.

"Great. I'm in 25."

 _See, that's a start_ , Emma thought.


	15. Chapter 15

Regina was walking through the quad when something struck her on the side of her head. "OW!" she yelled as she saw that the object was a basketball.

"Heads up!" A large long haired man by the basketball hoop yelled. He then winced as Regina glared at him and picked up the hall, ready to chuck it far away.

"Hold on!" his companion (a good looking scruffy guy with a beard) yelled as he jogged over to Regina. "Sorry you got hit. John and I were playing one on one and the ball got away from us. It was an honest mistake."

"Whatever," Regina replied as she handed him his ball back. "Don't let it happen again."

The guy started walking back when he turned to her in recognition. "Didn't we have a class together last year? I think you were in my math class. You sat in front and were always taking a lot of notes."

"That sounds like all the classes I take," she replied. "And as for math I don't remember you in it."

"I sat in the back and didn't say much. I'm Robin by the way. And my friend over there is John," He said as he pointed to the guy by the hoop.

"Regina," she said shortly. "Watch where your ball goes next time. Goodbye."

"Hold up a sec. I still feel bad that you got hit. Let me buy you a cup of coffee or something to make up for it."

"Right now?" she asked.

"Whenever you're free."

Regina thought about it for a sec before replying, "I have class this afternoon and then a study session. I'm free after six."

"Splendid. There's a new coffee shop in town, The Witch's Brew. Why don't we meet there say, 6:30?"

"Okay."

"Great. I'll see you then."

 _Did I just agree to go out on a date with that guy_? She asked herself as she watched him go back to his game.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Just tell me when you see something you like," Emma said as she and Elsa sat on the couch flipping through channels. After eating dinner together in the cafeteria they'd gone back to Emma's townhouse. They were currently in the living room searching for something to watch.

"Okay," Elsa replied as she leaned against Emma, resting her head on her shoulder. For a moment she wondered if she was being too bold, especially as she felt Emma's eyes on her. But when Emma didn't say anything she relaxed, enjoying being close to the fellow blonde.

Emma absentmindedly put an arm around Elsa as she flipped through channels before finally landing on a medical drama. "I like this show," she said before noticing Elsa tense up. "What?"

"Can you please change the channel?" Elsa asked.

"Yeah, is something wrong?" Emma asked as she flipped to the next channel. "What, do you get squeamish from blood?"

"My sister has leukemia," Elsa simply stated.

"Oh my god," Emma said as she pulled back from Elsa so she could look at her properly. "I'm so sorry."

Elsa let out a shaky sigh as she continued. "Anna's been sick for a while now. She was diagnosed when she was nine, and has been in and out of hospitals since then. It's been hell for all of us, especially her. But she's a fighter. She received a bone marrow transfusion two years ago and had been in remission since then. I actually thought it might all be over. But then over the summer she went into renal failure, and now she needs a kidney transplant."

"That's terrible. Are you looking for a donor?" Emma asked, inwardly cringing at how stupid that must have sounded, since of course that's what they would be doing.

"She's on the donor list, so for now she's getting dialysis three times a week…while we're waiting for one to become available."

Emma looked at Elsa, unsure what to say in this situation. "I'm so sorry," she repeated.

"Thank you," Elsa said sincerely. "I didn't mean to lay this all on you so soon. I just hate anything to do with hospitals since I've seen so much of them."

"No problem. I completely understand." Emma flipped through a few more channels before asking, "Would you rather watch a movie instead?"

"That would be nice."

Emma got up and looked through the combined collection all the girls had brought before deciding on a screwball comedy. She got back on the couch, the two girls getting situated, when the door opened and Regina walked in. "Hey Regina."

"Hey Emma.…Elsa, right?" Regina asked, remembering when the girl first came over the previous week.

"Yes."

"We were just about to watch a movie. Do you want to join us?" Emma asked.

"Sure. Just give me one sec." Regina quickly got a glass of water and a bag of baby carrots to munch on before sitting at the other end of the couch. "You'll never believe what happened today," she said as Emma started the movie. "I think I might have just gone on a date."

"Really? With who?" Emma asked.

"This guy Robin. I was walking through the quad when he accidently hit me with a basketball. He came over and apologized, and offered to take me out for coffee."

"Are you going to see him again?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know," Regina said with a shrug, though the tone in her voice suggested she was leaning more towards yes.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey Em!" Ruby yelled as she barged into Emma's bedroom. "What do you want Killian to get-oh shit, I didn't mean to interrupt you two," she said once she realized Emma and Elsa were both sitting on Emma's bed.

"Relax, we were just talking," Emma stated as Elsa let out a nervous laugh.

"You two are seeing a lot of each other," Ruby said with a grin, seeing as Elsa has just been over the previous night. "I hope you have nothing but good intentions for our Emma."

"What do you want Rub?" Emma asked in annoyance.

"We're having a party Saturday night, and I wanted to know what alcohol you wanted Killian to get you?"

"Who's coming?" Emma asked.

"Just us girls. And Killian since he's getting us the booze."

"I thought he wasn't turning 21 until January?"

"I think one of his housemates is getting it. I don't know, he just said he's get it for us. You're welcome to come too Elsa," Ruby stated. "Just tell me what you want."

"I'm not much of a drinker," Elsa confessed. "I did once have something with vanilla vodka in it that was really tasty. So I guess I'll get that."

"I'll just take a small bottle of sour apple puckers," Emma said.

"Ugg, I don't know how you can drink that stuff," Ruby exclaimed as the two blondes handed money to her. "Thanks. I'll get it to Killian."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Where is he already?" Ruby whined. It was Saturday night and the girls were waiting for Killian to arrive with their alcohol so they could start the party. "First Mary Margaret bails to do something with David and now Killian's taking forever to get here."

"He said he'd be here by seven. It's only 7:20," Belle reiterated.

"That's still too long, I want to drink."

"Do you have any patience?" Regina asked in exasperation.

"Not when I want to party already," Ruby reiterated.

Just then there a knock on the door. Emma went over and opened it, revealing Killian. "Evening ladies," he said as he made his way inside. The girls gather around the kitchen as Killian set down a large paper bag and started pulling out various bottles. "We're got Wild turkey whisky, a six pack of hard lemonade, sour apple puckers, apple and vanilla vodka."

"This should be a good night," Ruby said as she took her whisky and poured herself a glass.

"Who got the Jagermeister?" Emma asked as she and Elsa poured a shot of their respective alcohols while Regina took her apple vodka and got orange juice to make a screwdriver.

"That's mine, for jagerbombs," Killian replied as Belle opened a bottle of her lemonade and took a drink.

"What's that?" Ariel asked.

"There like Irish Car Bombs, but with Jagermeister and red bull," Killian explained.

"That sounds good. I think I'll try that," Ariel decided.

"Fine by me."

"Okay," Emma said as she raised a shot glass. "We're all here, we all have alcohol. Here's to a fun might."

"To a fun night!" Everyone yelled.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

 _When the hell is this night going to end_ , Emma thought miserably. It didn't take long for things to quickly go to hell. Mostly due to three of the girls (Belle, Elsa and Ariel) spiraling out of control in vastly different ways. First Belle spontaneously started angrily yelling at everyone in French and stumbling around like a drunkard in an Irish novel. Then after six jagerbombs Ariel took to jumping on the couches like a drunken jackrabbit until she threw up and passed out cold. Regina begrudgingly took the redhead to the bathroom to watch over her and make sure she didn't die.

Emma would have helped if she hadn't had her hands full with Elsa. The girl had dissolved into a drunken mess, sobbing about her sister and how scared she was that she might die. Emma had spent the last hour holding the girl as she cried on her shoulder, selfishly praying she would eventually cry herself out.

"It's okay," she said for the umpteenth time as she stroked her hair.

"I don't want Anna to die," Elsa sobbed.

"I know," Emma said simply.

"I hate this. She doesn't deserve this."

"I know," Emma repeated, having said the same thing for what felt like a hundred times. She had no idea what to even say at this point. Her back and butt were sore from sitting on the floor and she just wanted to put this night behind her. "Do you want to try going to sleep?" she suggested. When Elsa didn't say anything Emma decided to take matters into her own hands. She worked her way up, pulling herself and Elsa to their feet. "Easy, I got you," she said as she considered her options. Given Elsa's state, the girl was in no condition to walk back to her room in Arendelle (nor would it wise for her to enter the lobby while drunk.) The best option would for her to spend the night in Emma's room. With that Emma carefully walked her down the stairs, figuring she could pull the two beds apart so they each had a place to sleep.

As she opened her door she was hit with the smell of alcohol. She saw Belle lying on the ground, her clothes soaked with what had remained of Emma's puckers. "Belle! What the hell?"

"Em," the brunette slurred as she stumbled to her feet. "Avez-vous besoin de la pièce pour le sexe? Parce que j'étais déjà expulsé de ma chambre pour ça. "

"I don't know what you're saying, speak English!" Emma yelled, her patience seriously reaching its end.

"Tu n'es pas obligé d'être une chienne Em. Juste parce que vous êtes un orphelin ne signifie pas que vous devez être tendu! "

"I'm done with this," Emma groaned. She dumped the whimpering Elsa on her bed before she dragged Belle out of her room. She marched over to Belle and Ruby's room and tried opening the door, only to find it locked. As she pulled on the doorknob she was able to make out moaning and the sound of bedsprings behind the door. Her face contorted in disgust as she realized why she hadn't seen Ruby or Killian for the last hour.

"Open up!" Emma yelled as she pounded on the door.

"Go away, we're busy," Killian yelled from behind the door.

"I don't care, get out here, I need help!" Emma cried. When all she heard was the continued groans of passion she yelled in frustration. "Wait here," she sternly told Belle. She set the girl down on the bottom stair before going to tend to Elsa. Luckily the Elsa had fallen asleep. Carefully Emma moved the two beds apart, maneuvering Elsa so she was fully on one of them. She took the girl's shoes off and got her under the covers. _She looks sweet when she's asleep_ , Emma thought with affection, even if that didn't erase what had happened over the last hour or so. "Goodnight," she softly said before leaving her room.

"Oh no," Emma said in exasperation upon seeing that Belle wasn't where she had left her. She quickly checked the downstairs bathroom before running upstairs, not seeing her in the kitchen or living room. "Belle!" she yelled as she checked Ariel and Regina's rooms before going to the other bathroom. "Have you seen Belle?"

"I'm a little busy here," Regina said irritably as she indicated to Ariel, who was passed out next to the toilet bowl.

"How is she?" Emma asked.

"Her breathing has gotten better and she's somewhat responsive. I think we can probably put her to bed now without worrying about her dying." Regina got up from the floor as she and Emma pulled the redhead to her feet. "What's going on with Belle?"

"I left her on the stairs while I was tending to Elsa, and now she's gone. I don't know where she is?"

"She probably left," Regina said as she nodded towards the front door, which was wide open.

"Fuck, this is all I need!" Emma cried out.

The two girls got Ariel into her bed, putting her waste basket next to her in case she had to throw up during the night. "Okay, now that's taken case of let's go find Belle."

"Okay, you do that," Regina said as she went to the living room and sat down.

"Come on, I need your help," Emma groaned.

"Excuse me, but I just spent the last hour cleaning vomit and making sure Ariel didn't die," Regina stated.

"I just spent the last hour having Elsa cry on my shoulder," Emma challenged.

"Where the hell is Ruby?" Regina asked. "Belle's her roommate, she should go find her."

"She and Killian are in her room having sex."

"Terrific," Regina groaned as Emma gave her the 'puppy dog' face. "Fine, let's go before I change my mind."

The two of them set off to find their French speaking drunken housemate. "Belle!" Emma yelled.

"Yeah, yell her name and alert her to campus police. Smart," Regina sarcastically stated.

"Shut up. Belle!" Emma continued.

"Screw it, Belle!" Regina yelled. They walked up and down the townhouse rows before making their way around the campus buildings. Finally, they spotted her as they came to the quad, seeing that she was with a blonde haired girl dressed in green. "Belle!" Emma said in equal parts relief and exasperation.

"Is she with you?" the blonde asked in a thick Aussie accent. "I found her drunkenly wandering around."

"She's our housemate," Regina replied. Together the three walked Belle back to 25, ignoring her drunken non English ramblings. "There we are. Thank you for finding her…what's your name?" Regina asked their mystery girl.

"Oh, right. I'm Tink."

"Tink?" Emma asked in surprise.

"It's actually Rose. But my last name is Tinkerton, and it's a nickname that stuck."

"Alright," Regina said. "I'm Regina, and that's my friend Emma."

"Nice to meet you both. I'll see you around," Tink said before setting off.

Regina and Emma pulled out a sleeping bag and shoved both it and Belle into Ariel's room, firmly telling their housemate to go to sleep before closing the door. "What a night," Emma said as she and Regina sat down on the couch.

"Tell me about it," Regina replied in exhaustion. "How did we become the house mothers tonight? We were supposed to have fun and instead this happens."

"I don't know," Emma said as she leaned back and closed her eyes.

"Glad I decided not to invite Robin," Regina said as she leaned back herself. As sleep overtook her she leaned against Emma, the two of them practically falling asleep in each other's arms.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Needless to say the mood in the house the next day was incredibly somber. Both Regina and Emma were pissed at the stress the other girls put them through. While both Ariel and Belle were extremely embarrassed by how they had acted. Needless to say everyone was pretty much avoiding each other that day.

"I'm sorry, okay," Ruby said to Emma that afternoon when her mood seemed a little better. "I didn't know what was going on."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you're banging Killian while I was out there looking out for everyone."

"Don't remind me," Ruby replied, clearly not happy with how her night had gone.

"So are you together now?" Emma asked.

"God no. It was a onetime drunken mistake. What about you and Elsa?"

"We talked this morning before she left. She feels terrible about what happened. I told her it was alright and I'd talk to her tomorrow," Emma explained. While she had hated how the night had gone, she wasn't going to let that stop her from seeing how things might go with her possible girlfriend.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"It sounds like you had a very eventful weekend," Dr. Hopper exclaimed. He and Regina were having their first therapy session since school had started. While he had expected them to talk about her summer or how she was doing living with her new housemates, instead they had taken to talking about what had happened over the weekend.

"Tell me about it," Regina said in frustration. "I just wanted to relax and have a fun night with my housemates, and instead I ended up cleaning up puke and making sure people don't die. It really was a terrible night."

"It seems like it was," Dr. Hopper said.

"Thank god Emma was there to help. I don't know what I would have done if she hadn't been there, or had been a drunken problem also. Never thought she would have been one of the responsible ones of that group."

"Well sometimes we don't know who will rise to the occasion until they have to. Take you for example. Last year you continually professed how much you loathed Emma and her friends. Now you're helping them when they need it," Dr. Hopper exclaimed.

"Ariel was passed out cold. I wasn't going to stand by and do nothing," Regina stated.

"Sadly there are people who would have done just that. I know we've talked before about you feeling like you're not a good person. I think this shows you're more thoughtful and compassionate then you give yourself credit for."

"Then explain last year," Regina stated.

"You were in pain because of significant losses in your life, and were lashing out from not dealing with it. And no one is perfect. We all have negative traits we work to overcome." Dr. Hopper wrote down a couple notes before saying, "You said you were glad Emma was there to help. I take it you two are getting along better now."

"Yes we are," Regina stated. "I never thought I'd say this, but she's becoming a very good friend. She still annoys the crap out of me at times. Just the other day she left a huge stack of dirty dishes in the sink right after I cleaned the kitchen. But mostly we've been getting along really well."

"I'm glad to hear that," Dr. Hopper exclaimed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm really sorry for the other night," Elsa said. She sighed in frustration, ashamed with how she had acted over the weekend.

"It's alright," Emma said. While that night had been rough for Emma, she didn't want to hold it against Elsa. "You were upset about your sister. And you were hardly the only one who was a wreck that night. I still need to find out what the heck Belle kept yelling at me in French," she said to lighten the mood.

Elsa nodded her head as Emma scooted closer to her. "I know it's hard dealing with this, but I swear I'm usually better at handling my emotions. That night it just all came pouring out." She sighed as she readied herself for what she was about to say. "If you don't want to keep seeing me I'll understand."

"I don't want to stop seeing you," Emma said. She gently ran her hand down Elsa's arm as the other girl blushed. "I know you're going through a tough situation. But I don't want that to keep us from seeing where this goes. I like you."

"I like you too," Elsa said. She looked into the other blonde's green eyes as she leaned into her, their lips touching in a sweet tender kiss.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina moaned as she and Robin made out on his couch. She had gone over just to see him, and unexpectedly their visit had turned into a fifteen minute and counting make out session.

"You're a really good kisser," he said as he ran his fingers through her hair. She blushed at the compliment as she ran her hands across his back. As she adjusted their position she noticed the clock in the kitchen, before pushing him off as she realized what time it was. "I have to go."

"What, why?" he asked.

"Amazing Race is starting in five minutes."

"Wait, what?" Robin asked, shocked by the sudden ending of their kissing.

"It's a show I watch every week. I can't miss it."

"Can't we watch it here?"

"No, I always watch it with Emma." She started pulling her shoes on as she said to him, "You're welcome to join us if you want."

"Sure," he said dully, not happy with this sudden turn of events, but not wanting to make a big deal over it.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Am I late, did I miss anything!" Emma yelled as she burst into her house, seeing Regina and a guy she never met on the couch.

"No, it hadn't started yet," Regina assured her. "Emma, this is my boyfriend Robin. Robin, this is my friend Emma."

"Nice to finally meet you," Emma said as she sat down on the couch.

"Likewise," Robin replied.

"How do you think you did on that test you had today?" Regina asked Emma.

"There were a few questions I couldn't get. But I'm sure I got at least a B."

"That's good. What?" she asked off the look Emma gave her.

"Really. 'That's good.' If that were you you'd be kicking yourself if you didn't think get an A."

"I like to do well. Is that so bad," Regina stated.

"No, of course not."

Just then the show started, and the girls stopped their discussion as they watched the previous episode recap. "I hope Zack and Cody don't get eliminated tonight," Regina said.

"I know. It was bad enough when Karen and Ed were eliminated," Emma said about their favorite team.

"So what is this show about?" Robin asked.

"It's about different teams racing around the world for a million dollars," Regina explained. "Each week a different team is eliminated if they are the last one to make it to the checkpoint. And whoever makes it to the finish line at the end wins."

"Okay," he said as he watched the screen, already bored by the show.

As the show went on the two girls quickly realized Robin wasn't into it. Before the first commercial break came he made at least two comments about how boring the show was. Then on the second commercial break he insisted on checking the score of a baseball game, which turned into a fight for the remote to change back to their show.

"OW!" he yelled at Emma as he looked at his hand. "You scratched me."

"You weren't giving back the remote. And this is our house and television," Emma sternly reminded him.

Realizing she was right Robin instead got up and grabbed his jacket. "I'm really not into this. I'll see you later Regina."

"Alright, bye," Regina simply said as he left.

"He's a real prize," Emma said under her breath.

"He's not that bad," Regina said in defense, even though she was kind of glad he was gone so they could watch their show in peace.

Needless to say, neither of them were surprised at all when Robin didn't join them the follow week in watching the next episode. Or any episode of the rest of the season. Though as the weeks went by others gradually started watching and getting into the show. Even Mary Margaret and David came by to watch the last couple of episodes. By the time the season finale came Emma and Regina ended up holding an 'amazing race party' for a bunch of people, which included all the house girls (including Mary Margaret), David, Elsa, Killian, Graham, Tink and Mulan. They ordered pizza and made appetizers and ran a pool on which of the last three teams would win the game. They even made up fake airline tickets for everyone as a fun souvenir.

"You're crazy," Killian said to Graham as everyone took their pizza and scrambled to find room to sit in the living room. "Tina and Marie are not going to win. They aren't aggressive enough. Zack and Cody are the clear winners. They came in first at the last three checkpoints."

"I still think Tina and Marie have a shot," Graham insisted. "They're good players and have made it far longer than anyone gave them credit for.

"I know they're a long shot, but I really hope Fadel and Cammie end up winning," Mulan said as she sat on the counter since there weren't any more free chairs or space on the couch.

"Is that who you're picking to win, cause you still haven't put in for a winner," said Emma, who was running the pool.

"What the hell, I'll go with my favorite," Mulan said as she handed $5 to Emma. "Put me down for Fadel and Cammie to win.

"Excellent."

"Everyone shut up. It's starting," Regina insisted. Everyone got comfortable as the show started. Regina looked around, a part of her a bit amazed that she was being included in all of this. This time last year she was completely alone. And now she was throwing a party (okay, co-hosting one) that a bunch of people came to.

"What?" Emma asked as she saw Regina smiling at her.

"Nothing," Regina playfully said.

 **Author's note: I used google translate for the parts where Belle speaks French. So I apologize if it's not completely accurate.**


	16. Chapter 16

Emma looked around the living room for her buzzing phone, before finding it under the couch cushions. "Hey Mulan."

"Hi. Did I leave a blue notebook at your place? I thought I took it with me after the Amazing Race party, but I can't find it."

"Hold on, let me check." Emma looked around the living room and kitchen before finding a notebook on the counter. "Does it have a sticker on the cover of two samurais fighting?"

"That's the one. Could you bring it over to the theater? I have a test tomorrow and my notes are in there."

"No problem. I'll bring it over now."

"Great. Thanks."

"See you in a bit," Emma said just as Regina walked through the door. "Hey. Feel like taking a walk with me? I have to go to the theater to return Mulan's notebook to her."

"Sure," Regina simply said, not having anything better to do.

"We really need to start working on our Halloween costumes," Emma said as they made their way across campus.

"We still have time to come up with something. Halloween isn't for two weeks," Regina stated.

"Exactly. We only have two weeks to make really kickass costumes. Ruby suggested we all go trick or treating together, so we need good outfits for that."

"Aren't we a little old for that?" Regina asked. "We are in college."

"So? We're college students in a college town. It's basically expected that we go trick or treating. Besides, these are the last years we can do it, because after we graduate, yes, trick or treating would be very weird. Come on, it will be so much fun. It'll be like when we were kids."

"I actually never went trick or treating as a kid," Regina awkwardly confessed.

"Seriously?" Emma asked in disbelief. "That's like a childhood stable."

"My mom thought it might be dangerous. So she just used to buy candy for me and Zelena."

"That's just sad. Even growing up in group homes I was able to go trick or treating most years. So you never did anything for Halloween growing up?" Emma asked as they entered the campus center and made their way to the theater.

"We had a Halloween party at my house every year," Regina replied, smiling at the memory. "My father would always dress up as a friendly vampire count and would take all the kids on a hay ride through the grounds."

"That sounds nice," Emma replied as they entered the theater, which was busy with activity. Actors loudly rehearsed for the director while the stage crew worked on set building. "Mulan!" the blonde yelled as she and Regina climbed up on stage.

"Right here!" Mulan replied as she finished running a bucket up to the rafters before walking over to them. "Thank you so much," she said as she took the note book. "I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost this."

"No problem. The set is really coming along," Emma said as she looked at the giant backdrop suspended from the rafters.

"Yeah, it should be done by next week," Mulan replied. "I also have some ideas on how to light the bar scene that I want to try out when we begin lighting cues."

"Hey, watch it!" Regina yelled as purple drips rained down from above.

"Sorry!" Jasmine yelled from above as she continued to paint the top of the backdrop.

"That seems like really watery paint," Emma observed as she looked at the drips on stage.

"It's not paint. Its hair dye," Mulan explained. "It makes light shine through the fabric better, which will make the big musical number in the finale really look good."

"Heads up!" Jasmine yelled as the bucket of hair dye slipped from her grasp and fell down to the stage. Regina, reacting a split second earlier then Emma, covered her head with her hands before the two of them were splattered in purple hair dye.

"AW!" both girls yelled as dye ran down them. "MY HAIR!"

"I'm so sorry," Jasmine cried out as she made her way down from the rafters.

"Maybe it's not so bad," Mulan said uncertainly as she looked at the girls, secretly glad she had stepped away from them a few seconds beforehand. Emma's head was covered with dye, while the right side of Regina's hair had uneven specs and lines of dye running down it.

"Not bad! My hands are now purple! And look at my hair!" Regina yelled.

"It was an accident Regina," Emma said miserably. While she herself was upset, she didn't want Jasmine to feel too bad.

"I'm so sorry," Jasmine said as she made her way over to them.

"My hair is ruined because of this," Regina said angrily to the girl. "How could you be such a klutz?"

"I said I was sorry," Jasmine replied in annoyance.

"It was an accident, we know that," Emma reiterated, not wanting things to get any worse. "It's okay," she said to Jasmine and Mulan before dragging Regina off stage.

"What the hell are you doing," Regina asked angrily.

"Getting you away before things escalate any further." Emma replied. "Throwing out blame isn't going to make this better."

"She ruined our hair and you're defending her?"

"I'm upset too, but yelling isn't going to solve this," Emma stated. "Let's try and find Ruby. She's been dying and cutting people's hair since last year. She might be able to help us."

"Fine," Regina said with restrained annoyance as she and Emma left the theater. She was still pissed, but somehow felt a bit pacified by Emma's calmness about the situation.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wow, Jasmine really did a number on two," Ruby said as she inspected the damage. Emma's hair was covered in thick splotches of purple dye, while the left side of Regina's hair was splattered with dye

"Can you fix us?" Emma asked.

"The dye on your skin should fade in a few days. That's what happens to me when I dye my streaks and it gets on me. It might take a little longer for your hands Regina just because so much got on it. But I'd be shocked if they stay like that for longer than a week. You're hair on the other hand…the best suggestion it for me to dye it and try to even it out."

"You mean we're going to have purple hair?" Regina asked.

"You we might be able to get away with just streaks on the one side. But Em, we're probably going to have to dye it all because so much of it on there."

"Why not just redye our natural hair colors?" Emma asked.

"Because it wouldn't show up right against the purple. Unless we used bleach first, but that could further damage it. The best bet is to even out the purple," Ruby explained.

"Okay, do it," Emma said while Regina (less enthusiastically) nodded her head.

"K. Let me just find out exactly what kind of hair dye was used and then I'll get to work," Ruby said as she went to call the theater to speak to Mulan.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, what do you think?" Ruby asked a few hours later once she was done.

Both girls looked in the mirror, taking in their new appearances. Emma's hair was now completely purple, while the left side of Regina's head was a series of thick purple streaks.

"I look like an anime character," Emma said as she looked at herself from different angles.

"It's…not as bad as it could have be," Regina admitted as she ran her fingers through her hair. "It certainly looks better than it did beforehand."

"See, I told you it would work out," Ruby stated.

"My mother is still going to freak when she sees it."

"That's what I thought with Granny when I first dyed my hair," Ruby stated. "But she took it in stride."

"Trust me, my mother is not your grandmother," Regina reiterated. "She's going to hate it.

"I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think," Emma said, trying to calm Regina down. "And besides, unless you go home beforehand you're not seeing her until Thanksgiving. It'll be much more faded by then.

"I guess," Regina replied.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"You almost ready!" Emma called out. It was Halloween and the girls were getting ready to go trick or treating.

"Just about," Regina called out from the bathroom.

Emma gave herself a final look over in the outside mirror, making sure her costume was right. Given her hair she had decided to go as the X-men character Psylocke. She had found a one piece purple gymnast suit that worked and had made leggings and elbow length gloves out of purple fabric.

She looked over as the door opened and Regina carefully stepped out of the bathroom. She had decided to dress up as a southern belle. Her outfit consisted of a light blue dress with a poofy petticoat, matching hat, and a long wig for her hair.

"Nice outfit," Emma stated. _She's more graceful in that thing then I am in jeans_ , Emma thought with wonder.

"Thanks. You look great. Your hair really makes the outfit. Though aren't you going to be cold trick or treating?" Regina asked.

"I'm sure I'll manage. Besides, it's daytime. It shouldn't be that bad," Emma replied, glad Halloween fell on a Saturday this year.

"Okay, let's do this," Ruby said as she came up the stairs. She was dressed in black hot pants, a red bikini top, a brown jacket, and a blond wig in pig tails.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Regina asked.

"Let me guess. Bombshell Harley Quinn?" Emma surmised.

"That's right."

"How's Belle feeling?" Regina asked.

"Still sick as a dog," Ruby replied about her roommate having the flu for the past week. "I'll try and get her some soup before we go to the dance tonight."

"Hopefully she'll keep it down. She's ran to the bathroom anytime she's eaten anything," Emma replied as Regina scrunched up her nose at that image.

"Hey," Ariel said as she came out of her room in a pink cowgirl outfit. "Are we ready to go?"

"We're still waiting for Mary Margaret and David, Killian, Tink and Robin to get here," Ruby stated before looking at Emma. "You said Elsa isn't coming right?"

"Yeah. She went home this weekend to see her sister."

"Hello!" Killian called out from outside. Regina walked over and opened the door, stepping aside as Killian and Tink walked in. Killian was dressed in a black trench coat and matching fedora, while Tink was in a green dress and fairy wings.

"You two look great," Emma said.

"Thanks," Tink replied. "Luckily this outfit came with two set of wings. I ripped the first one as I was putting it on.

Regina stated walking away from the door when they heard another knock. She doubled back and opened it, staring at the couple outside. "What in the world are you two supposed to be?" she asked as she backed up and Mary Margaret and David came in. David was wearing a large foam red heart, while Mary Margaret was in what looked like a skin tight ankle length scaly rubber dress with a fish head hood.

The couple smiled at each other before they started singing in harmony. " _Heart and Soul. I fell in love with you. Heart and soul. The way a fool would do madly. Because you held me tight._ Get it?" Mary Margaret asked at seeing their confused faces. "We're the song heart and soul."

"I'm heart," David said, pointing to his giant heart.

"And I'm a sole. The fish sole," Mary Margaret said with a smile.

"That's…clever," Emma said uncertainly.

"Whatever makes you happy," Regina said dismissively, still unable to comprehend how lame the two of them could be.

Just then there was another knock at the door. Being nearest to it David opened the door, where Robin stepped inside. "Hello everyone," he said.

"Where's your costume?" Regina asked, seeing he was in jeans and a hoodie.

"I didn't have time to get one."

"Lame," Emma replied.

"Hey, I'm here, aren't I," He said in annoyance. "It's not like they won't give out candy if you're not in a costume."

"No, but it makes it more fun," Emma stated.

"It's fine. Let's just go, okay," Regina said.

"Alright," Robin replied.

"Why are you always such a doormat around him?" Emma whispered to Regina as they all set off.

"Not now, alright," Regina testily whispered back.

The group set off to the first house and rang the bell. "Trick or treat!"

"Oh my, such lovely costumes," an older woman replied as she gave each of them some candy. "There you go. Enjoy yourselves."

"Thanks!" they replied as they set off. They made their way to the next house, waiting for Mary Margaret, who was waddling like a penguin because of her outfit. Once she finally arrived they rang the doorbell. "Trick or treat!"

They continued this for close to three hours, making their way up and down several blocks before deciding to call it quits.

"When I was a kid I would go trick or treating in a costume, then go out again without a outfit so I could get twice as much candy," Killian told everyone as they headed back to campus. "We could try doing that later. Though that wouldn't really work for you mate now would it," he said to Robin. Robin grumbled while everyone else generally murmured that while it was a good idea none of them wanted to go out a second time.

"So how did you like trick or treating?" Emma asked Regina.

"It was fun," Regina replied. "Though a couple of the guys who answered the door were definitely leering at us."

"Well we are a group of good looking people. Though you might have us all beat in that department."

Regina chuckled at that statement before noticing Emma shivering. "I told you it was going to be cold."

"I'm fine. Sides, we're almost back."

"Here," Regina said as she took off her jacket and handed it to Emma.

"Regina I'm not taking your jacket."

"Just take it. I've got a sweater on from my costume. I'm fine," Regina insisted.

"Fine," Emma said as she put on Regina's jacket, mouthing 'thank you' to Regina as she feel warmer.

Once they made it back to campus they dropped off their candy at TH 25 before going to the café for dinner.

"Regina," Robin said as they were all eating. "My friends and I are watching some horror movies at my place tonight. You should come watch them."

"What about the Halloween dance?" she asked.

"You could do this instead. Come on, what do you say?"

Regina was tempted to say yes, when she thought about what Emma had said just before they left. That, and the fact that she wanted to go to the dance, made up her mind. "Thanks, but I think I'm going to go to the dance."

"Oh come on, it'll be fun," he reiterated. "John found this really scary movie from Japan that we're going to watch."

"I'm sure it will be fun. But I want to go to the dance. I'll come by afterwards," Regina said as a compromise.

"But Regina. This will be better than a dance. Come on, come with me," he insisted.

"Thanks, But I'd rather go to the dance," Regina reiterated.

"Come on Regina-"

"She said she wants to go to the dance," Emma told him.

"She has a mind of her own. She doesn't need you to speak for her," Robin said to her.

"I'm not speaking for her. I'm trying to get you to take the hint. She wants to go to the dance."

Robin and Emma glared at each other as he realized everyone (including his girlfriend) was uncomfortable by this. Grumbling he took his tray and got up to leave. "I'll see you later Regina. Unless you'd rather do something else then spend time with your boyfriend that is."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina stood by the refreshment table, looking out on the dance floor. At first she had had a good time. But the longer she stayed there the more she kept thinking about Robin and how he had just left _._ Even watching Mary Margaret try to dance in her fish dress couldn't keep herself from feeling guilty at having gone to the dance instead of with Robin. _Why couldn't he have just come to the dance for a while_ , she thought. _We could have left early and gone to watch movies afterwards. Why did he have to make me pick one or the other?_

"Hey," Emma said as she and Tink came over. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she lied.

"You're thinking about Robin, aren't you?" Tink asked.

"Yeah", she admitted.

"Why don't you go see him then if you're miserable here," Tink suggested.

"She shouldn't have to go cause that jagoff guilted her," Emma said.

"She shouldn't have to stay cause she's miserable here," Tink challenged.

"She has a name," Regina said, getting pissed at everyone talking for her. "And I'm going to go see Robin."

"Really. You're going to see captain buzz kill," Emma said in disbelief.

"I'll see everyone later," Regina said testily as she left the gym.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma was in the living room the next morning eating cereal and watching TV when Regina came in. "Good morning," Emma said, not pointing out that Regina was coming in still wearing her (now admiralty more wrinkled) Halloween costume. "Did you have run at Robin's last night."

"It was fine," Regina said, not liking Emma's tone.

"After the dance we all came back here and played cards," Emma stated. "We couldn't be too loud because of Belle, but it was fun."

"That's good," Regina said as she got herself a glass of juice.

"It would have been nice if you had been there, but, you know. I'm sure hanging out with your boyfriend was just as good."

"Okay, can you just stop," Regina said as she confronted Emma. "You're honestly mad because I wanted to spend time with my boyfriend. That would be like me getting mad at you because you want to spend time with Elsa."

"The problem isn't you spending time with your boyfriend. The problem is he keeps making you have to choose between himself and your friends," Emma stated. "He kept trying to have you do something with him whenever Amazing Race was on. He made you choose between us and him last night. He keeps trying to have you be with him instead of others. That's not healthy."

"Get off my back about it. I spent time with you guys and my boyfriend last night. I did both, what's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong was he had to guilt you to see him. He could have gone to the dance or left but was fine that you stayed. But he had to be a jerk and make you feel guilty until you had to go with him. That isn't a healthy relationship. That's kind of abusive."

"He isn't abusive!" Regina yelled, shocked Emma would say such a thing. "He's never laid a hand on me."

"I never said that he did! But if you guilt and manipulate someone that's emotional abuse. And he's doing that to you!"

"That is so over the line! I get a boyfriend and he wants to spend time with me and that makes him abusive! I guess the next time you see your girlfriend I should see if that's abusive!"

Just then they heard a knock at the door. Emma went over and opened it, seeing Elsa on the other side. "Hi," Elsa quietly said.

"Speak of the devil," Regina said, ignoring Elsa's confusion over Regina's tone. "I'm going to take a shower and change. Goodbye ladies."

"Is everything alright?" Elsa asked as Regina went downstairs, noticing how angry her girlfriend looked. "I don't mean to pry, but it sounded like you two were fighting from outside."

"It's fine, we were just having a disagreement," Emma replied, not wanting to drag Elsa into all of this. "Is everything alright? I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow."

"I was. But I decided to come back today instead."

"That's good. You want to go get some breakfast?"

"Didn't you just eat?" Elsa asked, indicating Emma's half eaten bowl of cereal.

"Yeah, but I can always go for a bear claw and coco," Emma said. She felt like going out and seeing her girlfriend. And if meant getting away from Regina for a while, even better.

"Okay," Elsa said as the two of them left to go to the cafeteria.

 **Author's note. I fully admit this version of Robin is rather OCC compared to the show. But since (spoiler) I don't plan on killing him off, there has to be other reasons things won't work out between him and Regina.**


End file.
